Effect of perinatal opioid addiction treatment on brain myelination

EMILSE S. SANCHEZ; ROCHELLE P. COELHO; ANGELA F. BRITTON'; SUSAN E. ROBINSON; CARMEN SATO-BIGBEE

Simposio; Daniel T. Watts Research Poster Symposium; 2005

The partial opioid agonist buprenorphine is used in the management of pregnant opioid addicts but such treatment has been associated with behavioral and neurological defects in their children. The mechanisms responsible for these effects are poorly understood but it is logical to hypothesize that buprenorphine by itself and/or interference with endogenous opioid systems may affect crucial steps along nervous system development. Among these potential steps is the synthesis of myelin, a multi lamellar membrane that insulates the axons allowing the rapid saltatory conduction of nerve impulses. To investigate this possibility, we determined the expression of myelin-specific components in the brains of rat pups that were pre- and postnatally exposed, via maternally implanted minipumps, to water (controls) or different concentrations of buprenorphine. Analysis of myelin-lipids (galactocerebrosides and sulfatides), myelin-proteins (myelin basic protein splicing isofonns, 2´-3´-cyclic nucleotide 3´-phosphodiesterase, and the myelin associated glycoprotein MAG), suggest that buprenorphine treatment significantly alters the myelination process. These results show for the first time that opioid signaling may play an important role in regulating myelination and underscore the importance of further studies investigating the link between neurological problems and opioid-related mechanisms in the children from addict mothers. (Supported by A.D. Williams, National Multiple Sclerosis Society and National Institutes of Health grants).