Verbal and nonverbal memory in school-aged children born to opioid-dependent mothers

Background: The potential long-term developmental effects of prenatal methadone and buprenorphine exposure during pregnancy are still largely unknown. Aims: We investigated memory function in school-aged children of women enrolled in opioid maintenance therapy (OMT) during pregnancy. Study design: Prospective longitudinal cohort study. Subjects: Participants included 41 children (aged 9–11 years), 20 of which had histories of prenatal methadone or buprenorphine exposure. Outcome measures: Verbal and non-verbal memory function was assessed using four subtests from the Test of Memory and Learning - Second edition (TOMAL-2). Results: The OMT group scored lower on both the two non-verbal as well as the two verbal memory tasks, all p-values <.05. Group differences remained for three out of the four subtests after controlling for general IQ. Including maternal tobacco use during pregnancy increased the explanatory power of the model, R2 change of 0.07, p = .04. Conclusions: Children prenatally exposed to methadone or buprenorphine had significantly lower memory performance, however, this association may in part be explained by maternal tobacco use during pregnancy. Consequently, smoking cessation programs should be systematically integrated into opioid maintenance therapy programs for pregnant women.publishedVersio

Verbal and nonverbal memory in school-aged children born to opioid-dependent mothers

Background: The potential long-term developmental effects of prenatal methadone and buprenorphine exposure during pregnancy are still largely unknown. Aims: We investigated memory function in school-aged children of women enrolled in opioid maintenance therapy (OMT) during pregnancy. Study design: Prospective longitudinal cohort study. Subjects: Participants included 41 children (aged 9–11 years), 20 of which had histories of prenatal methadone or buprenorphine exposure. Outcome measures: Verbal and non-verbal memory function was assessed using four subtests from the Test of Memory and Learning - Second edition (TOMAL-2). Results: The OMT group scored lower on both the two non-verbal as well as the two verbal memory tasks, all p-values <.05. Group differences remained for three out of the four subtests after controlling for general IQ. Including maternal tobacco use during pregnancy increased the explanatory power of the model, R2 change of 0.07, p = .04. Conclusions: Children prenatally exposed to methadone or buprenorphine had significantly lower memory performance, however, this association may in part be explained by maternal tobacco use during pregnancy. Consequently, smoking cessation programs should be systematically integrated into opioid maintenance therapy programs for pregnant women

Child internalizing and externalizing behaviors: Interplay between maternal depressive symptoms and child inhibitory control

Maternal depression is a risk factor for child internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Aiming to investigate the moderating role of child inhibitory control on this relationship, we invited a sub-sample of dyads from the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort study (MoBa) for a lab-based assessment (N = 92, Mage = 68 months, Range = 59–80, 50% girls). Maternal depression was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), while child behaviors were measured using the Child Behavior Check List, and inhibitory control using a child friendly version of the Flanker-task. As expected, higher levels of concurrent maternal depressive symptoms predicted higher levels of child internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Importantly, and in line with our predictions, child inhibitory control moderated the association. Lower levels of inhibitory control predicted a stronger association between concurrent maternal depressive symptoms and child behavioral outcomes. The results support prior research suggesting that concurrent maternal depression poses a risk for child development, and highlight that children with lower levels of inhibitory control are more vulnerable to negative environmental influences. These findings contribute to our understanding of the complexity of parental mental health issues on child development and suggest avenues for personalized treatment programs for families and children at risk

Underlying mechanisms of disruptive mood dysregulation disorder in children: A systematic review by means of research domain criteria

Background A systematic overview of underlying mechanisms in the new disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD) diagnosis is needed. The Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) represent a system of six domains of human functioning, which aims to structure the understanding of the nature of mental illnesses. By means of the RDoC framework, the objective of this systematic review is to synthesize available data on children and youths <18 years suffering from DMDD as reported in peer reviewed papers. Methods A literature search guided by PRISMA was conducted using Medline, PsychInfo, and Embase, while the RDoC domains were employed to systematize research findings. Risk of bias in the included studies was examined. Results We identified 319 studies. After study selection, we included 29 studies. Twenty-one of these had findings relating to >1 RDoC domain. The risk of bias assessment shows limitations in the research foundation of current knowledge on mechanisms of DMDD. Discussion Reviewing self-report, behavior and neurocircuit findings by means of RDoC domains, we suggest that DMDD youths have a negative interpretation bias in social processes and valence systems. In occurrence of a negative stimuli interpretation, aberrant cognitive processing may arise. However, current knowledge of DMDD is influenced by lack of sample diversity and open science practices. Conclusion We found the six RDoC domains useful in structuring current evidence of the underlying mechanisms of DMDD. Important opportunities for future studies in this field of research are suggested. In clinical practice, this comprehensive summary on DMDD mechanisms can be used in psychoeducation and treatment plans