Mentor: Jennifer Quinn, Ph.D.

Opioids such as morphine and methadone have been actively prescribed for years to treat chronic pain; however, the overprescribing of synthetic opioids in the last two decades has led to what is now known as the “opioid epidemic.” While these medications are often successful for treating pain, they also produce euphoric and reward-seeking behaviors that increase the possibility of misuse and abuse, now termed opioid use disorder (OUD). While the cause of developing dependence and decreasing tolerance is not yet fully understood, it has been hypothesized that down-regulation of the µ-opioid receptors is a factor. Acute withdrawal occurs during the detoxification process, characterized by somatic symptoms such as body tremors, flu-like symptoms, muscle aches, and insomnia. Other signs of negative affect include irritability and anxiety. The use of rodent models for opioid withdrawal has shown many similarities to the symptoms exhibited in humans. Further use of rodent models in opioid withdrawal may give more insight into the human physical and psychological dependence on opioids and the prevention of relapses. Methadone, in particular, is often regarded as safe to use during pregnancy. Analyzing the effects in rats recovering from in utero and early postnatal methadone withdrawal gives us a better indication of the adverse effects due to the mother taking methadone during pregnancy and the outcome of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS). Our experiment aims to assess the baseline behavior of neonatal rats through a small series of designed experiments and determine any sex differences before the implementation of methadone. Such experiments include ultrasonic vocalization (USV) detection, determination of a withdrawal score, and an assessment of behavior within an enriched environment.

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