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How do babies feel pain?

What does our research on baby pain look like? Take a peek at our video, recognised with the Digital Media OxTALENT award.

#StartedinOxford

The Paediatric Neuroimaging group are measuring brain activity when babies experience pain #StartedinOxford.

Results of the Poppi trial

The Poppi Trial: Procedural Pain in Premature Infants investigates if morphine is an effective and safe analgesic for premature babies.

Research

We undertake mechanistic research, clinical trials, methodology development (MRI, EEG and analytical approaches), with a particular focus on infant pain.

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Join us

If you are interested in learning more about the development of the human infant brain then get in touch. We have lots of opportunities for students and staff to join our research group.

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Our resources

We are very proud of our public engagement work - here we highlight our research through videos, podcasts, information leaflets and other resources.

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What's new

The development of pain perception in early life

In this interview, Ebony chats with Rebeccah Slater, a professor of Pediatric Neuroimaging in the Department of Pediatrics (Oxford University, UK), about her research on neonatal pain perception and her involvement in FENS 2022. Slater’s lab focuses on how pain perception develops in early life and how this research can better equip doctors to manage and treat pain in babies.

Early life infection increases sensitivity to pain in newborn babies

Researchers from Oxford’s Department of Paediatrics have discovered that infection can increase a baby’s sensitivity to pain, which may last longer than the infection.

Doctors learned how to save premature infants’ lives. They forgot about pain.

Scientists are investigating how to treat pain in babies who can’t tell you when it hurts.

Why it's so hard to treat pain in infants

For decades physicians believed that premature babies didn’t experience pain. Here’s what doctors know now – and the innovative solutions being embraced by today's caregivers.

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Latest publications