Reversing the Long-Term Effects of Neonatal Pain: Modulation by Environmental Enrichment

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2012
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Haverford College. Department of Psychology
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Award
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eng
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Haverford users only
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Abstract
Neonatal pain has been shown to have long-term effects on pain behaviors, leading to increased pain thresholds, or hypoalgesia. Environmental enrichment has a significant effect on pain behaviors as well. The purpose of the current study was to determine if enriched environments would play a modulating role on long-term pain and stress sensitivity for animals that experienced early-life pain. Male and female mice were placed into one of three early-life manipulations: surgery, sham surgery, or control. Subjects were then housed into standard or enriched environments to determine if an interaction of early-life manipulation and housing has an effect on adulthood pain and stress behaviors. Mice underwent pain tests (acetic acid, Von Frey, and tail-withdrawal tests) and anxiety testing (corticosterone analysis) to determine pain and stress sensitivity. Results from the study suggest that environmental enrichment buffers the adverse effects of neonatal pain on adulthood pain sensitivity.
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