Hypersensitivity to Pain Produced by Early Life Stress Worsened by Later Stress Exposure

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131105081354.htm

Nov. 5, 2013 — Childhood neglect and abuse, whether physical or psychological, confers a lifetime vulnerability to stress, anxiety, and mood problems. Such early-life stress is also suspected to contribute to the development of chronic pain in adulthood.

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Pups that had experienced this early-life stress showed increased reactivity to painful stimuli, particularly if they were exposed to a mild stress, an unpredictable unpleasant noise, as adults.

This enhanced muscle pain was related to both catecholamines, natural compounds in the body involved in the "fight-or-flight" response, and cytokines, molecules involved in the body's inflammatory response system. Interestingly, interventions that blocked the actions of the catecholamines and cytokines reduced the sensitivity to pain in the stressed pups.

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