The consequences of pain in early life: injury-induced plasticity in developing pain pathways

Pain in infancy influences pain reactivity in later life, but how and why this occurs is poorly understood. Here we review the evidence for developmental plasticity of nociceptive pathways in animal models and discuss the peripheral and central mechanisms that underlie this plasticity. Adults who ha...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The European journal of neuroscience Vol. 39; no. 3; pp. 344 - 352
Main Authors: Schwaller, Fred, Fitzgerald, Maria
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: France Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.02.2014
BlackWell Publishing Ltd
Subjects:
Animal models
Animals
cannabinoids
descending pain control
Endocannabinoids - metabolism
experience dependent-plasticity
Humans
hyperalgesia
Hyperalgesia - metabolism
Hyperalgesia - physiopathology
Nervous System - growth & development
Nervous System - metabolism
Nervous System - physiopathology
Neuralgia - metabolism
Neuralgia - physiopathology
Neuronal Plasticity
newborn infant
Special Issue: Neurobiology of Pain
Trauma, Nervous System - metabolism
Trauma, Nervous System - physiopathology
experience dependent-plasticity
cannabinoids
hyperalgesia
descending pain control
newborn infant
ISSN:0953-816X, 1460-9568, 1460-9568
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Pain in infancy influences pain reactivity in later life, but how and why this occurs is poorly understood. Here we review the evidence for developmental plasticity of nociceptive pathways in animal models and discuss the peripheral and central mechanisms that underlie this plasticity. Adults who have experienced neonatal injury display increased pain and injury‐induced hyperalgesia in the affected region but mild injury can also induce widespread baseline hyposensitivity across the rest of the body surface, suggesting the involvement of several underlying mechanisms, depending upon the type of early life experience. Peripheral nerve sprouting and dorsal horn central sensitization, disinhibition and neuroimmune priming are discussed in relation to the increased pain and hyperalgesia, while altered descending pain control systems driven, in part, by changes in the stress/HPA axis are discussed in relation to the widespread hypoalgesia. Finally, it is proposed that the endocannabinoid system deserves further attention in the search for mechanisms underlying injury‐induced changes in pain processing in infants and children. Pain in infancy influences pain reactivity in later life, but how and why this occurs is poorly understood. Here we review the evidence for developmental plasticity of nociceptive pathways in animal models and discuss the peripheral and central mechanisms that underlie this plasticity.
Bibliography:istex:941DC0F6B03464C902DF9986780C71F64385D5B4
ark:/67375/WNG-R507GML6-1
ArticleID:EJN12414
ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
ObjectType-Review-3
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ISSN:0953-816X
1460-9568
1460-9568
DOI:10.1111/ejn.12414