Imaging pain in the developing human brain (NIPI)

Research summary

Babies admitted to the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) are subjected to many invasive, and potentially painful clinical procedures each day as part of their essential medical care. Pain is an important clinical issue, and assessment and management of pain in this vulnerable population presents considerable challenges. Improving our understanding of when and how newborns and premature babies process pain has important consequences for neonatal care. In this Wellcome Trust funded study we aim to investigate the early development of pain processing in human infants. We will study brain activity in babies in response to non-painful stimuli (such as light, sound and touch) and clinically-required noxious stimuli such as heel pricks, injections and cannulation. In addition, we will investigate how early life experiences alters subsequent pain experience. Dr Slater, the Principal Investigator of the study, has an international reputation in Paediatric Neuroimaging and Dr Adams, the Clinical lead for the study, is the Clinical Director for Newborn Care Services at the John Radcliffe Hospital.

Principal Investigator

Prof Rebeccah Slater

Contact us

Email: vaneesha.monk@paediatrics.ox.ac.uk

IRAS number

105934