Evolution: the advantage of 'maladaptive' pain plasticity

Theodore J Price; Gregory Dussor

doi:10.1016/j.cub.2014.04.011

Evolution: the advantage of 'maladaptive' pain plasticity

Curr Biol. 2014 May 19;24(10):R384-6. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2014.04.011.

Authors

Theodore J Price¹, Gregory Dussor²

Affiliations

¹ University of Texas at Dallas, School of Behavior and Brain Sciences, Dallas, TX, USA. Electronic address: Theodore.price@utdallas.edu.
² University of Texas at Dallas, School of Behavior and Brain Sciences, Dallas, TX, USA; University of Arizona School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, Tucson, AZ, USA. Electronic address: Gregory.dussor1@utdallas.edu.

Abstract

Following injury, nociceptive systems become sensitized, leading to heightened pain perception. The evolutionary reason for this phenomenon has been hard to pinpoint. A study in squid now suggests that nociceptive sensitization enhances survival from predators.

Publication types

Comment

MeSH terms

Animals
Decapodiformes / physiology*
Female
Food Chain*
Male
Nociception*

Grants and funding

R01 GM102575/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States