The place escape/avoidance paradigm: A novel method to assess nociceptive processing

Abstract

This paper summarizes a behavioral paradigm that was developed as a novel method to dissociate the multidimensional pain experience in rodents. The place escape/avoidance paradigm (PEAP) is based on the assumption that if animals escape and/or avoid a noxious stimulus, then the stimulus is aversive to the animal. Data is presented showing that when animals are placed in a specific environmental condition, they will perform purposeful behavior to escape and/or avoid the noxious stimulus. Additional data is presented to demonstrate the validity of the behavioral paradigm and how the paradigm has been used to test the hypothesis that the affective/motivational dimension of pain can be dissociated and studied independent of sensory pain processing. The behavioral paradigm highlights the emerging trend in the area of pain research and management towards developing more realistic behavioral paradigms to assess nociceptive processing in rodent models of chronic pain.

Spinal Cord Stimulation Reduces Mechanical Hyperalgesia and Restores Physical Activity Levels in Animals with Noninflammatory Muscle Pain in a Frequency-Dependent Manner

“…100 In models of inflammatory muscle, joint, and cutaneous pain, previous studies show that there are decreases in activity levels when placed in a novel environments, voluntary running wheels in cages, or voluntary running wheels for short durations. 74,101,102 Measurements of activity can be a surrogate measure for function or quality of life, which improves with reductions in pain. The current study further shows that 60 Hz SCS, commonly used clinically, increases physical activity levels, likely resulting from a reduction in hyperalgesia increasing the animal's willingness to be physically active.…”

Increased miR-132-3p expression is associated with chronic neuropathic pain

“…To test the aversive aspect of pain the place escape avoidance paradigm (PEAP) was employed (Fuchs and McNabb, 2012). Rats were allowed unrestricted movement within a box (40.6 × 15.9 × 30.5 cm Plexiglas) one end of which was opaque black (sides and the top of the dark area) and the other end semi-translucent white (sides and top-light area).…”

A Review of Pain Assessment in Pigs

“…A recent study using lame sows trained to retrieve food rewards (113) and another study investigating how long castrated piglets take to navigate a handling chute (105) go some way to investigating a motivational trade-off in relation to pain. This approach could be investigated further in pigs, adapting examples of behavioral tests used in rodent models of pain, such as the place escape/avoidance paradigm (PEAP) (17), the “Escape test” (199), or the facial reward/conflict paradigm (200). …”

“…More recent behavioral paradigms have been developed to demonstrate the affective-motivational component of pain [e.g., Ref. (17)], but the ability of animals to experience the cognitive component of pain remains controversial (9). …”