An Examination of Sex Differences in the Effects of Early-life Opiate and Alcohol Exposure

Overview

Journal Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci

Specialty Biology

Date 2016 Feb 3

PMID 26833841

Citations 35

Authors

Laurne S Terasaki

Julie Gomez

Jaclyn M Schwarz

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Early-life exposure to drugs and alcohol is one of the most preventable causes of developmental, behavioural and learning disorders in children. Thus a significant amount of basic, animal and human research has focused on understanding the behavioural consequences and the associated neural effects of exposure to drugs and alcohol during early brain development. Despite this, much of the previous research that has been done on this topic has used predominantly male subjects or rodents. While many of the findings from these male-specific studies may ultimately apply to females, the purpose of this review is to highlight the research that has also examined sex as a factor and found striking differences between the sexes in their response to early-life opiate and alcohol exposure. Finally, we will also provide a framework for scientists interested in examining sex as a factor in future experiments that specifically examine the consequences of early-life drug and alcohol exposure.

Citing Articles

Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Transient Systemic Hypoxia-Ischemia Result in Subtle Alterations in Dendritic Complexity in Medial Frontal Cortical Neurons in Juvenile and Young Adult Rat Offspring in a Pilot Study.

Dominguez Z, Davies S, Pavlik N, Newville J, Hafer B, Jose C Cells. 2024; 13(23).

PMID: 39682731 PMC: 11640287. DOI: 10.3390/cells13231983.

Sex Differences in Human Brain Structure at Birth.

Khan Y, Tsompanidis A, Radecki M, Dorfschmidt L, Austin T, Suckling J Biol Sex Differ. 2024; 15(1):81.

PMID: 39420417 PMC: 11488075. DOI: 10.1186/s13293-024-00657-5.

Prenatal exposure to alcohol and its impact on reward processing and substance use in adulthood.

Mareckova K, Marecek R, Andryskova L, Brazdil M, Nikolova Y Transl Psychiatry. 2024; 14(1):220.

PMID: 38806472 PMC: 11133468. DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02941-9.

Sex and age effects on gray matter volume trajectories in young children with prenatal alcohol exposure.

Long M, Kar P, Forkert N, Landman B, Gibbard W, Tortorelli C Front Hum Neurosci. 2024; 18:1379959.

PMID: 38660010 PMC: 11039858. DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2024.1379959.

Sex differences in neonatal outcomes following prenatal opioid exposure.

Madurai N, Jantzie L, Yen E Front Pediatr. 2024; 12:1357970.

PMID: 38577634 PMC: 10991792. DOI: 10.3389/fped.2024.1357970.

References

Haley D, Handmaker N, Lowe J . Infant stress reactivity and prenatal alcohol exposure. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2006; 30(12):2055-64. DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2006.00251.x. View

Strauss M, Andresko M, STRYKER J, Wardell J, Dunkel L . Methadone maintenance during pregnancy: pregnancy, birth, and neonate characteristics. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1974; 120(7):895-900. DOI: 10.1016/0002-9378(74)90335-4. View

Biglarnia M, Karami M, Hafshejani Z . Differences in morphine-induced antinociception in male and female offspring born of morphine exposed mothers. Indian J Pharmacol. 2013; 45(3):227-31. PMC: 3696291. DOI: 10.4103/0253-7613.111904. View

Hernandez-Avila C, Rounsaville B, Kranzler H . Opioid-, cannabis- and alcohol-dependent women show more rapid progression to substance abuse treatment. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2004; 74(3):265-72. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2004.02.001. View

Cicero T, Nock B, Meyer E . Gender-related differences in the antinociceptive properties of morphine. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1996; 279(2):767-73. View

Osei-Kumah A, Smith R, Jurisica I, Caniggia I, Clifton V . Sex-specific differences in placental global gene expression in pregnancies complicated by asthma. Placenta. 2011; 32(8):570-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.placenta.2011.05.005. View

Hamilton K, Harris A, Gewirtz J, Sparber S, Schrott L . HPA axis dysregulation following prenatal opiate exposure and postnatal withdrawal. Neurotoxicol Teratol. 2005; 27(1):95-103. DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2004.09.004. View

West J, Goodlett C, Bonthius D, Hamre K, Marcussen B . Cell population depletion associated with fetal alcohol brain damage: mechanisms of BAC-dependent cell loss. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 1990; 14(6):813-8. DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.1990.tb01820.x. View

Kelly S, Leggett D, Cronise K . Sexually dimorphic effects of alcohol exposure during development on the processing of social cues. Alcohol Alcohol. 2009; 44(6):555-60. PMC: 2781766. DOI: 10.1093/alcalc/agp061. View

10.

Victoria N, Karom M, Eichenbaum H, Murphy A . Neonatal injury rapidly alters markers of pain and stress in rat pups. Dev Neurobiol. 2013; 74(1):42-51. DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22129. View

11.

OConnell B, Moritz K, Roberts C, Walker D, Dickinson H . The placental response to excess maternal glucocorticoid exposure differs between the male and female conceptus in spiny mice. Biol Reprod. 2011; 85(5):1040-7. DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod.111.093369. View

12.

Li Y, Merrill J, Mooney K, Song L, Wang X, Guo C . Morphine enhances HIV infection of neonatal macrophages. Pediatr Res. 2003; 54(2):282-8. PMC: 4035124. DOI: 10.1203/01.PDR.0000074973.83826.4C. View

13.

Bonthius D, West J . Alcohol-induced neuronal loss in developing rats: increased brain damage with binge exposure. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 1990; 14(1):107-18. DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.1990.tb00455.x. View

14.

McCarthy M, Arnold A . Reframing sexual differentiation of the brain. Nat Neurosci. 2011; 14(6):677-83. PMC: 3165173. DOI: 10.1038/nn.2834. View

15.

Glavas M, Ellis L, Yu W, Weinberg J . Effects of prenatal ethanol exposure on basal limbic-hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal regulation: role of corticosterone. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2007; 31(9):1598-610. DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2007.00460.x. View

16.

Victoria N, Inoue K, Young L, Murphy A . A single neonatal injury induces life-long deficits in response to stress. Dev Neurosci. 2013; 35(4):326-37. DOI: 10.1159/000351121. View

17.

Amateau S, Alt J, Stamps C, McCarthy M . Brain estradiol content in newborn rats: sex differences, regional heterogeneity, and possible de novo synthesis by the female telencephalon. Endocrinology. 2004; 145(6):2906-17. DOI: 10.1210/en.2003-1363. View

18.

Becker J, Hu M . Sex differences in drug abuse. Front Neuroendocrinol. 2007; 29(1):36-47. PMC: 2235192. DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2007.07.003. View

19.

Guerri C, Bazinet A, Riley E . Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and alterations in brain and behaviour. Alcohol Alcohol. 2009; 44(2):108-14. PMC: 2724862. DOI: 10.1093/alcalc/agn105. View

20.

OConnell B, Moritz K, Walker D, Dickinson H . Sexually dimorphic placental development throughout gestation in the spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus). Placenta. 2012; 34(2):119-26. DOI: 10.1016/j.placenta.2012.11.009. View