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Smith BL, Guzman TA, Brendle AH, Laaker CJ, Ford A, Hiltz AR, Zhao J, Setchell KDR, Reyes TM. Perinatal Morphine Exposure Leads to Sex-Dependent Executive Function Deficits and Microglial Changes in Mice. eNeuro 2022; 9:ENEURO. [PMID: 36216505 DOI: 10.1523/ENEURO.0238-22.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Revised: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Children exposed prenatally to opioids are at an increased risk for behavioral problems and executive function deficits. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) and amygdala (AMG) regulate executive function and social behavior and are sensitive to opioids prenatally. Opioids can bind to toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) to activate microglia, which may be developmentally important for synaptic pruning. Therefore, we tested the effects of perinatal morphine exposure on executive function and social behavior in male and female mouse offspring, along with microglial-related and synaptic-related outcomes. Dams were injected once daily subcutaneously with saline (n = 8) or morphine (MO; 10 mg/kg; n = 12) throughout pregestation, gestation, and lactation until offspring were weaned on postnatal day 21 (P21). Male MO offspring had impairments in attention and accuracy in the five-choice serial reaction time task, while female MO offspring were less affected. Targeted gene expression analysis at P21 in the PFC identified alterations in microglial-related and TLR4-related genes, while immunohistochemical analysis in adult brains indicated decreased microglial Iba1 and phagocytic CD68 proteins in the PFC and AMG in males, but females had an increase. Further, both male and female MO offspring had increased social preference. Overall, these data demonstrate male vulnerability to executive function deficits in response to perinatal opioid exposure and evidence for disruptions in neuron-microglial signaling.
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Grecco GG, Mork BE, Huang JY, Metzger CE, Haggerty DL, Reeves KC, Gao Y, Hoffman H, Katner SN, Masters AR, Morris CW, Newell EA, Engleman EA, Baucum AJ, Kim J, Yamamoto BK, Allen MR, Wu YC, Lu HC, Sheets PL, Atwood BK. Prenatal methadone exposure disrupts behavioral development and alters motor neuron intrinsic properties and local circuitry. eLife 2021; 10:66230. [PMID: 33724184 PMCID: PMC7993998 DOI: 10.7554/elife.66230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the rising prevalence of methadone treatment in pregnant women with opioid use disorder, the effects of methadone on neurobehavioral development remain unclear. We developed a translational mouse model of prenatal methadone exposure (PME) that resembles the typical pattern of opioid use by pregnant women who first use oxycodone then switch to methadone maintenance pharmacotherapy, and subsequently become pregnant while maintained on methadone. We investigated the effects of PME on physical development, sensorimotor behavior, and motor neuron properties using a multidisciplinary approach of physical, biochemical, and behavioral assessments along with brain slice electrophysiology and in vivo magnetic resonance imaging. Methadone accumulated in the placenta and fetal brain, but methadone levels in offspring dropped rapidly at birth which was associated with symptoms and behaviors consistent with neonatal opioid withdrawal. PME produced substantial impairments in offspring physical growth, activity in an open field, and sensorimotor milestone acquisition. Furthermore, these behavioral alterations were associated with reduced neuronal density in the motor cortex and a disruption in motor neuron intrinsic properties and local circuit connectivity. The present study adds to the limited body of work examining PME by providing a comprehensive, translationally relevant characterization of how PME disrupts offspring physical and neurobehavioral development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory G Grecco
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, United States.,Indiana University School of Medicine, Medical Scientist Training Program, Indianapolis, United States
| | - Briana E Mork
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, United States.,Program in Medical Neuroscience, Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, United States
| | - Jui-Yen Huang
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, United States.,The Linda and Jack Gill Center for Biomolecular Sciences, Department of Psychological and Brain Science, Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, United States
| | - Corinne E Metzger
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology & Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, United States
| | - David L Haggerty
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, United States
| | - Kaitlin C Reeves
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, United States
| | - Yong Gao
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, United States
| | - Hunter Hoffman
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, United States
| | - Simon N Katner
- Deparment of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, United States
| | - Andrea R Masters
- Clinical Pharmacology Analytical Core-Indiana University Simon Cancer Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, United States
| | - Cameron W Morris
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, United States.,Department of Biology, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis, United States
| | - Erin A Newell
- Deparment of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, United States
| | - Eric A Engleman
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, United States
| | - Anthony J Baucum
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, United States.,Department of Biology, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis, United States.,Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, United States
| | - Jiuen Kim
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, United States.,Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, United States
| | - Bryan K Yamamoto
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, United States.,Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, United States
| | - Matthew R Allen
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology & Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, United States.,Indiana Center for Musculoskeletal Health, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, United States
| | - Yu-Chien Wu
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, United States.,Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, United States
| | - Hui-Chen Lu
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, United States.,Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, United States
| | - Patrick L Sheets
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, United States.,Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, United States
| | - Brady K Atwood
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, United States.,Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, United States
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Grecco GG, Atwood BK. Prenatal Opioid Exposure Enhances Responsiveness to Future Drug Reward and Alters Sensitivity to Pain: A Review of Preclinical Models and Contributing Mechanisms. eNeuro 2020; 7:ENEURO. [PMID: 33060181 DOI: 10.1523/ENEURO.0393-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2020] [Revised: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The opioid crisis has resulted in an unprecedented number of neonates born with prenatal opioid exposure (POE); however, the long-term effects of POE on offspring behavior and neurodevelopment remain relatively unknown. The advantages and disadvantages of the various preclinical POE models developed over the last several decades are discussed in the context of clinical and translational relevance. Although considerable and important variability exists among preclinical models of POE, the examination of these preclinical models has revealed that opioid exposure during the prenatal period contributes to maladaptive behavioral development as offspring mature including an altered responsiveness to rewarding drugs and increased pain response. The present review summarizes key findings demonstrating the impact of POE on offspring drug self-administration (SA), drug consumption, the reinforcing properties of drugs, drug tolerance, and other reward-related behaviors such as hypersensitivity to pain. Potential underlying molecular mechanisms which may contribute to this enhanced addictive phenotype in POE offspring are further discussed with special attention given to key brain regions associated with reward including the striatum, prefrontal cortex (PFC), ventral tegmental area (VTA), hippocampus, and amygdala. Improvements in preclinical models and further areas of study are also identified which may advance the translational value of findings and help address the growing problem of POE in clinical populations.
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