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The Neurodevelopmental Impact of Neonatal Morphine Administration

2014; Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute; Volume: 4; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.3390/brainsci4020321

2076-3425

Stephanie Attarian, Lan Chi Tran, Aimée M. Moore, George Stanton, Eric G. Meyer, Robert P. Moore,

Intensive Care Unit Cognitive Disorders

Medical management of newborn infants often necessitates recurrent painful procedures, which may alter nociceptive pathways during a critical developmental period and adversely effect neuropsychological outcomes. To mitigate the effects of repeated painful stimuli, opioid administration for peri-procedural analgesia and ICU (intensive care unit) sedation is common in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). A growing body of basic and animal evidence suggests potential long-term harm associated with neonatal opioid therapy. Morphine increases apoptosis in human microglial cells, and animal studies demonstrate long-term changes in behavior, brain function, and spatial recognition memory following morphine exposure. This comprehensive review examines existing preclinical and clinical evidence on the long-term impacts of neonatal pain and opioid therapy.