The distribution of pain activity across the human neonatal brain is sex dependent

Madeleine Verriotis; Laura Jones; Kimberley Whitehead; Maria Laudiano-Dray; Ismini Panayotidis; Hemani Patel; Judith Meek; Lorenzo Fabrizi; Maria Fitzgerald

doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.05.030

The distribution of pain activity across the human neonatal brain is sex dependent

Madeleine Verriotis, Laura Jones, Kimberley Whitehead, Maria Laudiano-Dray, Ismini Panayotidis, Hemani Patel, Judith Meek, Lorenzo Fabrizi, Maria Fitzgerald

Digital Health & Applied Tech Assessment

Univ London, Birkbeck University London, University College London, University of London Royal Veterinary College, University of London, St Georges University London, Imperial College London, Kings College London, Royal Holloway University London, Queen Mary University London, Div Populat Hlth Sci & Educ
UCL Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

32 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In adults, there are differences between male and female structural and functional brain connectivity, specifically for those regions involved in pain processing. This may partly explain the observed sex differences in pain sensitivity, tolerance, and inhibitory control, and in the development of chronic pain. However, it is not known if these differences exist from birth. Cortical activity in response to a painful stimulus can be observed in the human neonatal brain, but this nociceptive activity continues to develop in the postnatal period and is qualitatively different from that of adults, partly due to the considerable cortical maturation during this time. This research aimed to investigate the effects of sex and prematurity on the magnitude and spatial distribution pattern of the long-latency nociceptive event-related potential (nERP) using electroencephalography (EEG). We measured the cortical response time-locked to a clinically required heel lance in 81 neonates born between 29 and 42 weeks gestational age (median postnatal age 4 days). The results show that heel lance results in a spatially widespread nERP response in the majority of newborns. Importantly, a widespread pattern is significantly more likely to occur in females, irrespective of gestational age at birth. This effect is not observed for the short latency somatosensory waveform in the same infants, indicating that it is selective for the nociceptive component of the response. These results suggest the early onset of a greater anatomical and functional connectivity reported in the adult female brain, and indicate the presence of pain-related sex differences from birth.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	69-77
Number of pages	9
Journal	NeuroImage
Volume	178
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.05.030
Publication status	Published - Sept 2018

Keywords

Brain/physiology
Electroencephalography/methods
Evoked Potentials/physiology
Female
Gestational Age
Humans
Infant, Newborn/physiology
Male
Nociception/physiology
Pain Perception/physiology
Sex Characteristics
Touch Perception/physiology

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10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.05.030

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title = "The distribution of pain activity across the human neonatal brain is sex dependent",

abstract = "In adults, there are differences between male and female structural and functional brain connectivity, specifically for those regions involved in pain processing. This may partly explain the observed sex differences in pain sensitivity, tolerance, and inhibitory control, and in the development of chronic pain. However, it is not known if these differences exist from birth. Cortical activity in response to a painful stimulus can be observed in the human neonatal brain, but this nociceptive activity continues to develop in the postnatal period and is qualitatively different from that of adults, partly due to the considerable cortical maturation during this time. This research aimed to investigate the effects of sex and prematurity on the magnitude and spatial distribution pattern of the long-latency nociceptive event-related potential (nERP) using electroencephalography (EEG). We measured the cortical response time-locked to a clinically required heel lance in 81 neonates born between 29 and 42 weeks gestational age (median postnatal age 4 days). The results show that heel lance results in a spatially widespread nERP response in the majority of newborns. Importantly, a widespread pattern is significantly more likely to occur in females, irrespective of gestational age at birth. This effect is not observed for the short latency somatosensory waveform in the same infants, indicating that it is selective for the nociceptive component of the response. These results suggest the early onset of a greater anatomical and functional connectivity reported in the adult female brain, and indicate the presence of pain-related sex differences from birth.",

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author = "Madeleine Verriotis and Laura Jones and Kimberley Whitehead and Maria Laudiano-Dray and Ismini Panayotidis and Hemani Patel and Judith Meek and Lorenzo Fabrizi and Maria Fitzgerald",

year = "2018",

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doi = "10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.05.030",

language = "English",

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T1 - The distribution of pain activity across the human neonatal brain is sex dependent

AU - Verriotis, Madeleine

AU - Jones, Laura

AU - Whitehead, Kimberley

AU - Laudiano-Dray, Maria

AU - Panayotidis, Ismini

AU - Patel, Hemani

AU - Meek, Judith

AU - Fabrizi, Lorenzo

AU - Fitzgerald, Maria

PY - 2018/9

Y1 - 2018/9

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AB - In adults, there are differences between male and female structural and functional brain connectivity, specifically for those regions involved in pain processing. This may partly explain the observed sex differences in pain sensitivity, tolerance, and inhibitory control, and in the development of chronic pain. However, it is not known if these differences exist from birth. Cortical activity in response to a painful stimulus can be observed in the human neonatal brain, but this nociceptive activity continues to develop in the postnatal period and is qualitatively different from that of adults, partly due to the considerable cortical maturation during this time. This research aimed to investigate the effects of sex and prematurity on the magnitude and spatial distribution pattern of the long-latency nociceptive event-related potential (nERP) using electroencephalography (EEG). We measured the cortical response time-locked to a clinically required heel lance in 81 neonates born between 29 and 42 weeks gestational age (median postnatal age 4 days). The results show that heel lance results in a spatially widespread nERP response in the majority of newborns. Importantly, a widespread pattern is significantly more likely to occur in females, irrespective of gestational age at birth. This effect is not observed for the short latency somatosensory waveform in the same infants, indicating that it is selective for the nociceptive component of the response. These results suggest the early onset of a greater anatomical and functional connectivity reported in the adult female brain, and indicate the presence of pain-related sex differences from birth.

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KW - Electroencephalography/methods

KW - Evoked Potentials/physiology

KW - Female

KW - Gestational Age

KW - Humans

KW - Infant, Newborn/physiology

KW - Male

KW - Nociception/physiology

KW - Pain Perception/physiology

KW - Sex Characteristics

KW - Touch Perception/physiology

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SN - 1053-8119

VL - 178

SP - 69

EP - 77

JO - NeuroImage

JF - NeuroImage

ER -

The distribution of pain activity across the human neonatal brain is sex dependent

Abstract

Keywords

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