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The Effects Of Perinatal Oxycodone Exposure On Behavioral Outcome In A Rodent Model, Thitinart Sithisarn, Sandra J. Legan, Philip M. Westgate, Melinda E. Wilson, Kristen Wellmann, Henrietta S. Bada, Susan Barron

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Opiate addiction is now a major public health problem. Perinatal insults and exposure to opiates such as morphine in utero are well known to affect development of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis of the offspring adversely and are associated with a higher risk of developing neurobehavioral problems. Oxycodone is now one of the most frequently abused pain killers during pregnancy; however, limited data are available regarding whether and how perinatal oxycodone exposure (POE) alters neurobehavioral outcomes of the offspring. We demonstrated that exposure to 0.5 mg/kg/day oxycodone in utero was associated with hyperactivity in adult rats in an open field. No significant …