Adolescent Substance Abuse, Transgenerational Consequences and Epigenetics

Abstract

: Adolescence is the transitional period between childhood and adulthood and a critical period in brain development. Adolescence in humans is also associated with increased expression of risk-taking behaviors. Epidemiological and clinical studies, for example, show a surge of drug abuse and raise the hypothesis that the adolescent brain undergoes critical changes resulting in diminished control. Determining how substance abuse during this critical period might cause long-term neurobiological changes in cognition and behavior is therefore critically important. The present work aims to provide an evaluation of the transgenerational and multi- generational phenotypes derived from parent animals exposed to drugs of abuse only during their adolescence. Specifically, we will consider changes found following administration of cannabinoids, nicotine, alcohol and opiates. In addition, epigenetic modifications of the genome following drug exposure will be discussed as emerging evidence of the underlying adverse transgenerational effects. Notwithstanding, much of the new data discussed here is from animal models, indicating that future clinical studies are much needed to better understand the neurobiological consequences and mechanisms of drug actions on the human brains’ development and maturation.

p75NTR Regulates Morphine-induced CPP and Related mRNA Expression in Adolescent Mice through Trk Dependent Pathway

“…This shows that p75NTR may be signi cantly involved in morphine abuse of adolescent brains because it mainly regulates synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus during brain development. Moreover, our study also shows that adolescents might be more sensitive to positive rewarding properties than adults, such as drugs and natural stimuli(Garofoli M, 2020) (Salmanzadeh H et al, 2021).…”

A history of ethanol intake accelerates the development of morphine analgesic tolerance: A protective potential for omega-3 fatty acids.

“…Finally, our results only indicate that adolescent ethanol treatment speeds up the occurrence of morphine analgesic tolerance in rats, and this does not support any "specificity" for this time point. Since adolescent brain is markedly sensitive to psychostimulants (Salmanzadeh et al, 2021(Salmanzadeh et al, , 2020, drug exposure during this time point is of particular significance. Indeed, in order to claim that the observed effects are specific to "adolescence period," other lifetime points (e.g., adulthood and senescence) should also be tested in a comparative manner.…”

Quality of Life among Adolescents with Leukemia

“…The world Health Organization (WHO) defines an adolescent as any person between ages 10 and 21 years. Adolescence is narrowly equated with puberty and the cycle of physical changes in reproductive maturity, change typically occurs in every aspect of individual development with biological changes usually preceding other changes include physical, sexual, cognitive, social, and emotional changes that happen during this time can bring anticipation and anxiety for both adolescent and families ) Salmanzadeh et al, 2021).…”