Maternal deprivation and nociception

Abstract

Maternal deprivation refers to the disruption of the mother–pup/mother–child interaction in the first days/weeks of life. Translational models for maternal deprivation/separation experiences of human infants in neonatal intensive care units are being used worldwide by several research groups and have shown, among other consequences, to cause changes in nociception throughout life and in adulthood. In clinical settings, on the other hand, it is quite difficult to segregate maternal deprivation from other early-life stressors, once preterm newborn and newborns are subjected to a wide range of noxious and innocuous stimuli during the first year of life. However, in general, it is unquestionable that early-life stress/maternal deprivation triggers long-term consequences in the nociceptive and nonnociceptive signaling. Thus, nonpharmacological intervention therapies, such as enriched environments and physical exercise, may minimize these effects.