The deleterious effects of parental fentanyl-dependence on sleep health: Multigenerational effects on sleep architecture and cognition in adolescent rats.
Location
D.P. Culp Center Room 311
Start Date
4-5-2024 1:30 PM
End Date
4-5-2024 2:30 PM
Name of Project's Faculty Sponsor
Brooke Schmeichel
Faculty Sponsor's Department
Biomedical Sciences
Competition Type
Competitive
Type
Oral Presentation
Presentation Category
Health
Abstract or Artist's Statement
Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid that alters sleep quantity and quality, and the deterioration of sleep quality is associated with drug abuse and relapse in humans. Adding to this complex relationship between sleep disturbances and substance use disorders, research in humans has indicated that sleep disturbances during adolescence are associated with an increased risk of future substance use. Moreover, addiction is a multifaceted condition that can negatively impact multiple generations. In recent years, there has been growing preclinical evidence to suggest that parental exposure to opioids, even before gestation, can produce cognitive impairment in subsequent generations. Therefore, our first study utilized a translationally relevant model of fentanyl dependence to demonstrate the altered sleep health in adult female and male rats following chronic intermittent fentanyl vapor during drug abstinence. Our fentanyl-dependent female and male rats showed a significant reduction in the amount of time spent in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep during the light/inactive phase following one week of abstinence. Furthermore, to demonstrate the negative multigenerational effects of fentanyl dependence on sleep health and cognition, our second study measured outcomes in the drug naïve offspring of fentanyl-dependent rats during adolescence. The drug naïve offspring of fentanyl-dependent rats exhibited a significant increase in the amount of time spent in REM and NREM sleep, and less time awake within the dark/active phase during adolescence compared to control, drug-naïve rats. Additionally, the drug naïve, adolescent offspring of fentanyl-dependent parents exhibited cognitive memory deficits, as demonstrated lower performance on a novel object recognition task. Taken together, our findings not only demonstrate the direct impact of fentanyl dependence on sleep health but also the deleterious effects on sleep health and cognition in the subsequent generation.
The deleterious effects of parental fentanyl-dependence on sleep health: Multigenerational effects on sleep architecture and cognition in adolescent rats.
D.P. Culp Center Room 311
Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid that alters sleep quantity and quality, and the deterioration of sleep quality is associated with drug abuse and relapse in humans. Adding to this complex relationship between sleep disturbances and substance use disorders, research in humans has indicated that sleep disturbances during adolescence are associated with an increased risk of future substance use. Moreover, addiction is a multifaceted condition that can negatively impact multiple generations. In recent years, there has been growing preclinical evidence to suggest that parental exposure to opioids, even before gestation, can produce cognitive impairment in subsequent generations. Therefore, our first study utilized a translationally relevant model of fentanyl dependence to demonstrate the altered sleep health in adult female and male rats following chronic intermittent fentanyl vapor during drug abstinence. Our fentanyl-dependent female and male rats showed a significant reduction in the amount of time spent in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep during the light/inactive phase following one week of abstinence. Furthermore, to demonstrate the negative multigenerational effects of fentanyl dependence on sleep health and cognition, our second study measured outcomes in the drug naïve offspring of fentanyl-dependent rats during adolescence. The drug naïve offspring of fentanyl-dependent rats exhibited a significant increase in the amount of time spent in REM and NREM sleep, and less time awake within the dark/active phase during adolescence compared to control, drug-naïve rats. Additionally, the drug naïve, adolescent offspring of fentanyl-dependent parents exhibited cognitive memory deficits, as demonstrated lower performance on a novel object recognition task. Taken together, our findings not only demonstrate the direct impact of fentanyl dependence on sleep health but also the deleterious effects on sleep health and cognition in the subsequent generation.