Perinatal Fentanyl Exposure Drives Enduring Addiction Risk and Central Amygdala Gene Dysregulation.

ABSTRACT: The use of fentanyl and other opioids during pregnancy is a pressing public health issue due to its association with Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS) and long-term neurobehavioral deficits. Human epidemiologic studies are confounded by both genetic and environmental factors that differ between exposed and unexposed children. We developed a novel rat model of perinatal fentanyl exposure to characterize NOWS symptoms and investigate enduring behavioral and molecular outcomes. Offspring born to fentanyl-exposed dams exhibited reduced survival, lower body weight, spontaneous withdrawal symptoms, and mechanical hypersensitivity. In adolescence, these rats displayed negative affect, while in adulthood, they showed increased fentanyl self-administration, heightened drug-seeking during r

SUBMITTER: Wood CP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12139761 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature