TY - JOUR T1 - Venipuncture activates the cerebral cortex in children with intellectual disability JF - Archives of Disease in Childhood JO - Arch Dis Child SP - 167 LP - 172 DO - 10.1136/archdischild-2019-318695 VL - 106 IS - 2 AU - Stefano Bembich AU - Giuliana Morabito AU - Valentina Simeon AU - Tamara Strajn AU - Rosaria Rutigliano AU - Paola Di Rocco AU - Gabriele Cont AU - Francesco Maria Risso AU - Francesca Peri AU - Egidio Barbi Y1 - 2021/02/01 UR - http://adc.bmj.com/content/106/2/167.abstract N2 - Objective To evaluate the pattern of cortical activation during a painful procedure, such as a venipuncture, in children with intellectual disability and compare it with that of cognitively healthy children.Study design and setting A cohort study was conducted and cortical activation was assessed by multichannel cerebral near-infrared spectroscopy to monitor variations in oxyhaemoglobin and deoxyhaemoglobin (Hbb) in children with and without intellectual disability during a venipuncture for blood sampling with topical anaesthesia. Pain and distress were assessed as well using different validated pain scales (visual analogue scale and Non-Communicating Children’s Pain Checklist-Postoperative Version for children with intellectual disability), and compared between groups.Participants 16 children with severe to profound intellectual disability and 20 cognitively healthy peers (age range: 4–17 years).Results When Hbb was analysed, children with intellectual disability exhibited a bilateral activation of the somatosensory (p<0.006) and right motor cortex (p=0.0045), whereas cognitively healthy peers never showed a cortical activation. Children with intellectual disability also showed more pain than controls (p=0.001).Conclusions When subjected to a painful procedure, only children with intellectual disability show an activation of the cerebral cortex, even if topical anaesthesia is applied, and express more pain than cognitively healthy peers. The role of other issues in painful procedures, such as anxiety, fear or physical restraint, deserves further investigation. ER -