Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 11, 2025
Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Children had smaller brain volumes and cortical surface areas after prenatal opioid maintenance therapy exposure
Anne Kathinka Aslaksen1,2,3, Knut Jørgen Bjuland4, Mari Leirdal Hoem1
1Department of Pediatrics, Sørlandet Hospital, Arendal and Kristiansand, Norway.
Insights
Prenatal opioid medication (OMT) exposure in children may lead to smaller brain volumes and altered brain structures. Long-term outcomes show potential negative impacts on motor and visual-motor functions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Radiology
Background:
- Infants exposed to prenatal opioid medication (OMT) exhibit reduced brain volumes compared to controls.
- Long-term developmental outcomes following prenatal OMT exposure remain under-investigated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess brain morphology and functional outcomes in children aged 5-13 with prenatal OMT exposure.
- To investigate associations between brain structure and neurodevelopmental function in this cohort.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study of 55 OMT-exposed children and 59 matched controls.
- Brain MRI analysis using Free Surfer® for volumetrics and cortical surface area/thickness.
- Assessment of motor and visual-motor functions using Movement-ABC and Beery-VMI.
Main Results:
- OMT-exposed children had significantly smaller total intracranial volume (ICV).
- Adjusted analyses revealed smaller volumes in amygdala, basal ganglia, and corpus callosum in the OMT group.
- Reduced cortical surface area was observed in specific frontal and parietal regions; visual-motor function correlated with ICV.
Conclusions:
- Prenatal OMT exposure may adversely affect early brain development.
- Potential long-term functional consequences, including motor and visual-motor deficits, are suggested.
- Further research is warranted to understand the full spectrum of OMT's impact on child neurodevelopment.
Aim:
The studies have shown that infants with prenatal OMT exposure had smaller brain volumes than non-exposed controls, but long-term outcome data are lacking. We examined 5-13-year-old OMT-exposed children with brain MRI and tested motor and visual-motor functions and possible associations between brain morphology and outcome.
Methods:
To this retrospective cohort study, we recruited 55 children with prenatal OMT exposure and 59 age- and gender-matched controls. They were examined with brain MRI, Movement-ABC and Beery-VMI. MRI images were processed with the Free Surfer® software to obtain volumetrics and estimates of cortical surface area and thickness. We used a general linear regression model (GLM) to calculate group differences.
Results:
The children in the OMT group had smaller mean total intracranial volume (ICV), 1407 cm3 (CI 95% 1379-1434) versus 1450 cm3 (CI 95% 1423-1476) in the control group (p = 0.026). After adjusting for ICV, significant group differences persisted for volumes of amygdala, basal ganglia and mid-posterior part of corpus callosum. Cortical surface area was smaller in the left caudal middle frontal gyrus and the right inferior parietal lobule in the OMT-group. Visual-motor function was significantly correlated with ICV.
Conclusion:
Prenatal OMT exposure may alter early brain development with possible negative long-term functional consequences.
More Related Videos
05:25Preclinical Model of Prenatal Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Exposure to Assess Its Impact on Neurodevelopmental Outcomes
Published on: February 28, 2025
19:57The Use of Trace Eyeblink Classical Conditioning to Assess Hippocampal Dysfunction in a Rat Model of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
Published on: August 5, 2017
