Grimace scales to recognise pain
Research has shown that changes in facial expression can be a reliable and quick method for recognising pain in some animal species. The NC3Rs has funded the development of grimace scales for mice, rats and rabbits. Three posters have also been produced that can be used to train people who work with these animals.
For more information on grimace scales, visit the NC3Rs website.
Publications
- Langford DJ et al. (2010). Coding of facial expressions of pain in the laboratory mouse. Nature Methods 7(6): 447-449
- Sotocinal SG et al. (2011). The Rat Grimace Scale: a partially automated method for quantifying pain in the laboratory rat via facial expressions. Molecular Pain 7: 55
- Keating SCJ et al. (2012) Evaluation of EMLA cream for preventing pain during tattooing of rabbits: Changes in physiological, behavioural and facial expression responses. PLOS ONE 7(9):e44437