The impact of parental contact upon cortical noxious ‐related activity in human neonates

ConclusionsThese results show the importance of considering contextual factors in determining infant brain activity and reveal the powerful influence of parental contact upon noxious ‐related activity across the developing human brain.SignificanceThis observational study found that the way in which the neonatal brain processes a noxious stimulus is altered by the type of contact the infant has with their mother. Specifically, being held in skin ‐to‐skin reduces the magnitude of noxious‐related cortical activity. This work has also shown that different neural mechanisms are engaged depending on the mother/infant context, suggesting maternal contact can change how a baby's brain processes a noxious stimulus.
Source: European Journal of Pain - Category: Anesthesiology Authors: Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research