Researcher(s)
- Olivia Szulc, Biological Sciences, University of Delaware
Faculty Mentor(s)
- Mary Dozier, Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of Delaware
Abstract
Substances used during pregnancy have been known to travel through the placenta to the fetus. Previous studies on prenatal opioid use have shown associations with altered brain regions and functions in both non-human and human samples. In this study, we focused on the volume of the amygdala and hippocampus in 6-month-old infants with prenatal opioid exposure. We hypothesized that the amygdala would have an increased volume and the hippocampus would have a decreased volume in the 6- month-old infants exposed to opioids during pregnancy in comparison to the babies not exposed to any substance.
We explored this in a sample of 32 infants who underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging scans at 6-months. Eight infants were in the comparison group with no substance exposure and 24 were in the methadone assisted treatment group (parents receiving treatment for opioid usage during pregnancy). A structural MRI was taken of each of the babies, the scans were processed through Infant Freesurfer, and then analyzed using a t-test. There were no significant differences in the structural volumes of the amygdala and hippocampus of infants in the comparison group vs the infants prenatally exposed to opioids, p values > .10.
Limitations include a small sample and a presence of a parenting intervention. Future directions may include exploring the impact of quantity of opioids used and exploration of other environmental factors.