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Babies feel pain 'like adults'

Research

The brains of babies 'light up' in a very similar way to adults when exposed to the same painful stimulus, a pioneering Oxford University brain scanning study has discovered. It suggests that babies experience pain much like adults.

Image courtesy of Shutterstock
  • World-first: MRI used to study infant pain
  • Finds 18 of 20 brain 'pain' regions activate in adults are active in babies
  • Also suggests infants are more sensitive to pain than adults
  • Highlights need to review pain relief for babies

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