Perception of pain in simple nervous systems

过去二十年的研究表明，蜜蜂的认知行为比迄今认为的要复杂得多。下一个前沿是调查这些生物是否有能力感受疼痛。这项研究将测量受伤蜜蜂血淋巴中生物胺和多肽的浓度，以及受伤个体对止痛药的偏好，以调查蜜蜂是否能够体验疼痛。如果答案是肯定的，昆虫可能会为疼痛研究提供新的简单模型，结果可能会导致制定对某些类别的无脊椎动物进行伦理实验的指导方针。

Research over the past twenty years has revealed that cognitive behaviour in honeybees is much more sophisticated than hitherto assumed. The next frontier is to investigate whether these creatures are capable of experiencing pain. This study will measure the concentrations of biogenic amines and peptides in the haemolymph of injured honeybees, and the preferences of wounded individuals for pain killers to investigate whether bees are capable of experiencing a sensation of pain. If the answer is positive, insects may provide new and simple models for the study of pain, and the results could lead to the formulation of guidelines for ethical experimentation with certain classes of invertebrates.