Characterisation and alleviation of post-operative pain in laboratory rats. (360G-Wellcome-081683_Z_06_Z)

Millions of laboratory rodents in Europe and North America undergo painful surgery annually. In most cases pain could be alleviated with appropriate analgesics treatment(s), however analgesics are either rarely used, or given at arbitrary dose rates and times. Our inability to assess pain is the primary reason for this, so we urgently need to know: How much pain the common surgical procedures cause? How long does the pain last? Which drugs are effective in alleviating pain? The s olution is to develop measures of post-operative pain. This project will use multiple measures (behaviour, endocrine and nociceptive responses) to refine our abilities to assess pain following different surgical procedures in rats. By utilising a unique automated behaviour recognition system we will rapidly refine our pain assessment capabilities in rats - evaluate pain severity and duration, and determine the necessary duration of analgesic treatment. A key goal is to develop assessment too ls for use in research facilities by non-specialist staff. The results of the project will allow us to validate behaviour measures that can be applied routinely. We will also be able to advise on analgesic requirements when behavioural measures are compromised (eg in sedated animals)?