Prenatal exposure to methadone or buprenorphine impairs cognitive performance in young adult rats.
Animals
Animals, Newborn
Buprenorphine
/ administration & dosage
Cognition
/ drug effects
Female
Infusion Pumps, Implantable
Male
Memory
/ drug effects
Methadone
/ administration & dosage
Opiate Substitution Treatment
/ adverse effects
Pregnancy
Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects
/ chemically induced
Random Allocation
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Buprenorphine
Cognitive functioning
Learning and memory
Methadone
Opioid maintenance treatment
Prenatal exposure
Journal
Drug and alcohol dependence
ISSN: 1879-0046
Titre abrégé: Drug Alcohol Depend
Pays: Ireland
ID NLM: 7513587
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
01 07 2020
01 07 2020
Historique:
received:
18
02
2020
revised:
20
03
2020
accepted:
30
03
2020
pubmed:
14
5
2020
medline:
2
3
2021
entrez:
14
5
2020
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
Concerns have been raised about the use of opioid maintenance treatment (OMT) during pregnancy and negative effects for the offspring. While neonatal outcomes and short-term effects are relatively well described, studies examining long-term effects in adolescents and adults are absent. The aim of the present study was to examine effects on learning and memory in young adult rats prenatally exposed to methadone or buprenorphine. Female rats were implanted with a 28-day osmotic minipump delivering methadone (10 mg/kg/day), buprenorphine (1 mg/kg/day) or vehicle 5 days prior to mating. To examine possible effects on cognitive functioning, young adult offspring were included in three different behavioral tests that examine recognition memory, nonspatial, and spatial learning and memory. In addition, offspring growth and maternal behavior after birh were investigated. Prenatal exposure to methadone or buprenorphine caused impaired recognition memory and nonspatial reference learning and memory in young adult rats compared with the vehicle-treated group. Methadone-exposed offspring, but not the buprenorphine-exposed, also showed reduced long-term spatial memory. We did not observe any changes in maternal behavior or offspring growth after prenatal exposure to methadone or buprenorphine, suggesting that the impaired cognitive functioning is due to the opioid exposure rather than reduced maternal caregiving. The present findings of long-term cognitive impairments in methadone- and buprenorphine-exposed offspring points to a negative impact of OMT on neurobiological development.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
Concerns have been raised about the use of opioid maintenance treatment (OMT) during pregnancy and negative effects for the offspring. While neonatal outcomes and short-term effects are relatively well described, studies examining long-term effects in adolescents and adults are absent. The aim of the present study was to examine effects on learning and memory in young adult rats prenatally exposed to methadone or buprenorphine.
METHODS
Female rats were implanted with a 28-day osmotic minipump delivering methadone (10 mg/kg/day), buprenorphine (1 mg/kg/day) or vehicle 5 days prior to mating. To examine possible effects on cognitive functioning, young adult offspring were included in three different behavioral tests that examine recognition memory, nonspatial, and spatial learning and memory. In addition, offspring growth and maternal behavior after birh were investigated.
RESULTS
Prenatal exposure to methadone or buprenorphine caused impaired recognition memory and nonspatial reference learning and memory in young adult rats compared with the vehicle-treated group. Methadone-exposed offspring, but not the buprenorphine-exposed, also showed reduced long-term spatial memory. We did not observe any changes in maternal behavior or offspring growth after prenatal exposure to methadone or buprenorphine, suggesting that the impaired cognitive functioning is due to the opioid exposure rather than reduced maternal caregiving.
CONCLUSION
The present findings of long-term cognitive impairments in methadone- and buprenorphine-exposed offspring points to a negative impact of OMT on neurobiological development.
Identifiants
pubmed: 32402939
pii: S0376-8716(20)30173-3
doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108008
pii:
doi:
Substances chimiques
Buprenorphine
40D3SCR4GZ
Methadone
UC6VBE7V1Z
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
108008Informations de copyright
Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts
Declaration of Competing Interest None.