LEND Pain in Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Analgesic Failure and the Promise of Biomarkers. MN Futures Phase II
Project Description:
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Why some children with neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., severe mental retardation, autism, cerebral palsy) fail to achieve adequate analgesia in spite of exposure to optimal pain treatment is not clear. This clinical problem is compounded further by the fact that children with neurodevelopmental disorders frequently have altered cognitive and communicative capacities making it difficult to distinguish pain from other stress/arousal behaviors and determine the need for analgesia. The problem is significant because children with disabilities experience markedly higher rates of pain than their typically developing peers with enormous associated costs (extended hospital stays, emotional suffering, and reduced adaptive function). A major advance in this context could be made through the University of Minnesota by translating basic research in pain mechanisms using biomarkers to complement clinical assessments. The specific purpose of this interdisciplinary research proposal is to (1) identify candidate biomarkers for chronic pain in children with developmental disorders, (2) measure their change over time, (3) evaluate the concordance among the biomarkers with behavioral measures of pain and function, and (4) test their predictive power in relation to change in pain and function. The results of these novel and innovative preliminary studies will be used to support a larger multi-site NIH submission.
Core Function(s):
Developing & Disseminating Information
Area of Emphasis
Health-Related Activities
Target Audience:
Students/Trainees (long or intermediate trainees), Community Trainees / Short term trainees, Professionals and Para-Professionals, Family Members/Caregivers, Adults with Disabilities, Children/Adolescents with Disabilities/SHCN
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Specific Groups
Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:
National
COVID-19 Related Data:
N/A
