Scientific Current Event Abstract
Cara Heenan Since the evolution of modern day medicine and surgical procedures, the reoccurring issue of prescribing babies pain medication has been argued inside and out. Concerned parents and cautious doctors have often butted heads on the topic, but no concrete studies have proven whether pain medication should or should not be given to babies.
Before the 1980s, it was not a common practice for babies to be given neuromuscular blocks but no pain relief medication during surgery. In 2014 a review of neonatal pain management practice in intensive care highlighted that as many as 60% of babies do not receive any kind of pain medication.
Researchers at Oxford University set out to discover if the prescribing of pain medication to babies should be allowed or forbidden. They created a detailed procedure and completed extensive research before beginning their experiment.
The study looked at 10 healthy infants aged between one and six days old and 10 healthy adults aged 2336 years. The experiment began when the research babies were placed in MRI scanners. MRI scans were then taken of the babies' brains as they were poked on the bottom of their feet, giving them a small but still uncomfortable sense of pain. These scans were then compared with brain scans of adults exposed to the same pain stimulus.
After many trials, the researchers gathered enough data to create a sensible analysis of their experiment. Through careful analyzing, they were able to conclude that their experiment found that 18 of the 20 brain regions active in adults experiencing pain were active in babies.
Scans represented through the MRI tests also showed that babies' brains had the same response to a weak poke as adults did to a stimulus four times as strong poke. The findings showed that babies experience pain much like adults. It also proved that babies also have a much lower pain threshold than adults.
This experiment is extremely beneficial to not only the world of
Before the 1980s, it was not a common practice for babies to be given neuromuscular blocks but no pain relief medication during surgery. In 2014 a review of neonatal pain management practice in intensive care highlighted that as many as 60% of babies do not receive any kind of pain medication.
Researchers at Oxford University set out to discover if the prescribing of pain medication to babies should be allowed or forbidden. They created a detailed procedure and completed extensive research before beginning their experiment.
The study looked at 10 healthy infants aged between one and six days old and 10 healthy adults aged 2336 years. The experiment began when the research babies were placed in MRI scanners. MRI scans were then taken of the babies' brains as they were poked on the bottom of their feet, giving them a small but still uncomfortable sense of pain. These scans were then compared with brain scans of adults exposed to the same pain stimulus.
After many trials, the researchers gathered enough data to create a sensible analysis of their experiment. Through careful analyzing, they were able to conclude that their experiment found that 18 of the 20 brain regions active in adults experiencing pain were active in babies.
Scans represented through the MRI tests also showed that babies' brains had the same response to a weak poke as adults did to a stimulus four times as strong poke. The findings showed that babies experience pain much like adults. It also proved that babies also have a much lower pain threshold than adults.
This experiment is extremely beneficial to not only the world of