Back to Search Start Over

The Rat Grimace Scale: A partially automated method for quantifying pain in the laboratory rat via facial expressions

Authors :
Zhan Shu
Wei Peng
Mapplebeck Josiane CS
Wieskopf Jeffrey S
Martin Loren J
Tuttle Alexander H
Zaloum Austin
Sorge Robert E
Sotocinal Susana G
Zhang Shuren
McDougall Jason J
King Oliver D
Mogil Jeffrey S
Source :
Molecular Pain, Vol 7, Iss 1, p 55 (2011)
Publication Year :
2011
Publisher :
SAGE Publishing, 2011.

Abstract

Abstract We recently demonstrated the utility of quantifying spontaneous pain in mice via the blinded coding of facial expressions. As the majority of preclinical pain research is in fact performed in the laboratory rat, we attempted to modify the scale for use in this species. We present herein the Rat Grimace Scale, and show its reliability, accuracy, and ability to quantify the time course of spontaneous pain in the intraplantar complete Freund's adjuvant, intraarticular kaolin-carrageenan, and laparotomy (post-operative pain) assays. The scale's ability to demonstrate the dose-dependent analgesic efficacy of morphine is also shown. In addition, we have developed software, Rodent Face Finder®, which successfully automates the most labor-intensive step in the process. Given the known mechanistic dissociations between spontaneous and evoked pain, and the primacy of the former as a clinical problem, we believe that widespread adoption of spontaneous pain measures such as the Rat Grimace Scale might lead to more successful translation of basic science findings into clinical application.

Subjects

Subjects :
Pathology
RB1-214

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
17448069
Volume :
7
Issue :
1
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Molecular Pain
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.9939e21abdab459e9b24780d54ef8ea2
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1186/1744-8069-7-55