Cognitive function of youths born to mothers with opioid and poly-substance abuse problems during pregnancy

Nygaard, Egil; Slinning, Kari; Moe, Vibeke; Walhovd, Kristine B.

doi:10.1080/09297049.2015.1092509

Cited by 64 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 81 publications

(162 reference statements)

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“…80,81 At age 17-21 years opioid-and polysubstance exposure was associated with lower cognitive abilities when exposed youth were compared to a non-exposed control group. 82 No firm conclusions regarding specific opioid effects can be drawn from these studies, as opioid exposure was inextricably associated with other environmental risks, as discussed by the authors. 81,82 In summary, firm conclusions about the influence of prenatal opioids on long-term cognitive and behavioral development in exposed children, cannot be made based on the existing literature.…”

Section: Prenatal Opioid Exposure and Neuropsychological Impairmentsmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…82 No firm conclusions regarding specific opioid effects can be drawn from these studies, as opioid exposure was inextricably associated with other environmental risks, as discussed by the authors. 81,82 In summary, firm conclusions about the influence of prenatal opioids on long-term cognitive and behavioral development in exposed children, cannot be made based on the existing literature. However, subtle neurocognitive deficits and attention problems have been repeatedly reported in this group, and opioid induced brain changes could possibly contribute to some of these difficulties.…”

Section: Prenatal Opioid Exposure and Neuropsychological Impairmentsmentioning

confidence: 90%

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Cerebral Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Children With Prenatal Drug Exposure

Sirnes

Elgen

Chong

et al. 2016

Clin Pediatr (Phila)

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This study aimed to evaluate cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of children with prenatal drug exposure in a clinical context. A hospital-based cohort of 10- to 14-year-old children, prenatally exposed to alcohol, opioids, and polysubstances, and a group of sex- and age-matched controls were examined with cerebral MRI. Scans obtained from 34 exposed children and 40 controls were scored based on the presence and degree of pathology by an experienced pediatric neuroradiologist blinded to the participants’ background. Overall visual detectable MRI pathology was found in 35% of the exposed children and 33% of the controls (odds ratio = 1.08; 95% confidence interval = 0.36-3.25). No specific imaging pattern following prenatal drug exposure was seen by the means of simple visual analysis of cerebral MRI scans. Although cerebral MRI is feasible, it is probably of limited value in the clinical assessment of children with prenatal drug exposure.

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Section: Prenatal Opioid Exposure and Neuropsychological Impairmentsmentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Prenatal Opioid Exposure and Neuropsychological Impairmentsmentioning

confidence: 90%

Cerebral Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Children With Prenatal Drug Exposure

Sirnes

Elgen

Chong

et al. 2016

Clin Pediatr (Phila)

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“…Given the recent rise in rates of prenatal opioid use, clinical studies have attempted to specifically characterise consequences of exogenous opioid exposures and whether the effects are persistent; however, observed clinical effects are variable and subjective to confounding factors . In a review by Byrnes and Vassoler of animal studies of prenatal chronic opioid exposure, various consequences on HPA axis function were reported, including no change in basal or stress‐induced ACTH or corticosterone, decreased ACTH in response to restraint stress and variable sensitivity to dexamethasone negative‐feedback .…”

Section: Prenatal Exposure To Select Drugs Of Abuse Leads To Altered mentioning

confidence: 99%

Prenatal drug exposure and neurodevelopmental programming of glucocorticoid signalling

Franks

Berry

DeFranco

2019

J Neuroendocrinology

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Prenatal neurodevelopment is dependent on precise functioning of multiple signalling pathways in the brain, including those mobilised by glucocorticoids (GC) and endocannabinoids (eCBs). Prenatal exposure to drugs of abuse, including opioids, alcohol, cocaine and cannabis, has been shown to not only impact GC signalling, but also alter functioning of the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal (HPA) axis. Such exposures can have long‐lasting neurobehavioural consequences, including alterations in the stress response in the offspring. Furthermore, cannabis contains cannabinoids that signal via the eCB pathway, which is linked to some components of GC signalling in the adult brain. Given that GCs are frequently used in pregnancy to prevent complications of prematurity, and also that rates of cannabis use in pregnancy are increasing, the likelihood of foetal co‐exposure to these compounds is high and may have additional implications for long‐term neurodevelopment. Here, we present a discussion of GC signalling and the HPA axis, as well as the effects of prenatal drug exposure on these pathways and the stress response, and we explore the interactions between GC and EC signalling in the developing brain and potential for neurodevelopmental consequences.

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“…Participation in studies such as ones that evaluate opioid exposure (especially if opioids were used illicitly) in utero appears to be low. It is improbable that drug-addicted pregnant women will participate or conform in such studies potentially because of the fear of arrest for possession of illegal substances, or, more commonly, for fear of losing their child to child protective services (Nygaard, Slinning, Moe, & Walhovd, 2017). A possible way to increase the participation rates in the human studies is to focus on legal opioids such as pain killers and to provide incentives such as rehabilitation afterwards.…”

Section: Recommendations For Future Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neurodevelopmental Changes in Offspring Prenatally Exposed to Opioids in Human Children and Rodent Models: A Review

Quagraine¹

2019

USURJ

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The number of infants born to opioid-dependent pregnant women in North America is a growing problem. Studies that focus on the long-term effects of neurodevelopmental changes of prenatal opioid exposure in human infants are however limited. The use of rodent models to evaluate these changes may provide some insight. This review focuses on studies of rodent models exposed to opioids such as morphine, heroin, oxycodone, buprenorphine, methadone, and l-α-acetylmethadol in uteroand briefly discusses the neural and behavioural effects in human children. Most of the rodent studies reported the following neural effects: increases in caspase-3 and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, altered NMDA activity, and decreases in BDNF expression in the offspring prenatally exposed to opioids. In addition, they showed decreases in synaptic plasticity, LTP, LTD, dendritic length, and dendritic branch number. The exposed rodent offspring were more inclined to perform poorly in the behavioural tests. Likewise, some of the human studies reported a significant difference between the exposed group and the control; however, other studies reported insignificant or no significant differences after correcting for covariates. Most of the studies suggest an impairment in learning and memory in the rodent offspring and deficits in behaviour and cognition in human children; however, this was not always the case. It is still not clear whether the effects of prenatal opioid exposure are due to the opioid itself being the prime factor, as various factors may also contribute to the results. Further studies of the effects of early opioid exposure on neurodevelopment in the offspring are required.

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Cognitive function of youths born to mothers with opioid and poly-substance abuse problems during pregnancy

Cited by 64 publications

References 81 publications

Cerebral Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Children With Prenatal Drug Exposure

Cerebral Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Children With Prenatal Drug Exposure

Prenatal drug exposure and neurodevelopmental programming of glucocorticoid signalling

Neurodevelopmental Changes in Offspring Prenatally Exposed to Opioids in Human Children and Rodent Models: A Review

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