Anna N. Bukiya

Declan W. Ali

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Editorial: Substance abuse andearly developmentAnna N. Bukiya1* and Declan W. Ali21Department of Pharmacology, Addiction Science and Toxicology, University of Tennessee HealthScience Center (UTHSC), Memphis, TN, United States, 2Department of Biological Sciences, Universityof Alberta, Edmonton, AB, CanadaKEYWORDSprenatal, drug abuse, narcotics, developmental trajectory, developmental toxicityEditorial on the Special IssueSubstance abuse and early developmentWhile misuse of psychoactive substances can be traced back to pre-historic times,their effects on invisible target—such as the developing fetus—only gained recognitionwithin the last century [1–4]. Initial seminal findings in humans and laboratory rodentsquickly grew from isolated observations to well-planned, multidisciplinary studies.Despite the involvement of numerous methodologies, large teams of researchers, andwidely different experimental organisms, there has been an unusual consensus on themeaning of findings: principally that prenatal exposure to drugs of misuse has deleteriousconsequences for the developing fetus.The mechanisms by which prenatal exposure to psychoactive substances altersdevelopmental trajectories are variable, from epigenetic alterations to fine-tuning ofblood supply to the brain [5, 6]. In some cases, such as during cannabis exposure, theimpact is exacerbated by the vast presence and activity of the endocannabinoid systemduring early development (Fride, 2008; [7]). In others, such as with alcohol, efforts forelucidating potential mechanisms of alcohol-driven alterations and thus, identifyingvenues for novel therapeutic options are hindered by the chemical’s simple structure andthe abundant sensing sites it can bind to. Additional challenges are presented by thegrowing trend of substance co-use, such as in cases of simultaneous consumption ofalcohol and marijuana [8] or opioid and stimulant products [9]. In these instances, inaddition to the effects of individual drugs, their potential interactions must be considered.The current Special Issue aims at describing recent advances in our understanding ofhow maternal and paternal substance abuse affects early development of progeny.Contributions into this Special Issue span from methodological advancements, intoreviews of current standing in the field, original research report, and novel diagnostictools. Specifically, Mbolle et al. take the reader on a journey into modern technology forhigh-resolution imaging of prenatal development. While this task is certainly streamlinedin obstetrics clinics, major challenges remain at the bench, as current resolutioncapabilities are often below the thresholds needed for accurate visualization of fetalstructures within small rodent species such as mice which are used for mechanisticstudies. Development of deep-tissue high-resolution imaging and accompanyingOPEN ACCESSEDITED BYEmmanuel Onaivi,William Paterson University,United States*CORRESPONDENCEAnna N. Bukiya,abukiya@uthsc.eduRECEIVED 27 July 2023ACCEPTED 04 August 2023PUBLISHED 09 August 2023CITATIONBukiya AN and Ali DW (2023), Editorial:Substance abuse andearly development.Adv. Drug Alcohol Res. 3:11836.doi: 10.3389/adar.2023.11836COPYRIGHT© 2023 Bukiya and Ali. This is an open-access article distributed under theterms of the Creative CommonsAttribution License (CC BY). The use,distribution or reproduction in otherforums is permitted, provided theoriginal author(s) and the copyrightowner(s) are credited and that theoriginal publication in this journal iscited, in accordance with acceptedacademic practice. No use, distributionor reproduction is permittedwhich doesnot comply with these terms.Advances in Drug and Alcohol Research Published by Frontiers01TYPE Special Issue EditorialPUBLISHED 09 August 2023DOI 10.3389/adar.2023.11836computational reconstruction technology will serve manyresearchers who are trying to elucidate the underpinnings ofprenatal drug exposure effects. Before such methodology couldadvance the field, a thorough analysis of existing knowledge isneeded, so that gaps could be identified and pursued withprecision targeting. To address this task, Mulligan and Hamreoffer an in-depth review of current standing on the influence ofprenatal cannabinoid exposure on early development andbeyond. The task is not trivial, as there is a clear difference ofopinion between medical professionals and societal attitudes.The authors conclude that while there is evidence that prenatalcannabis exposure might alter developmental trajectories, thecause-effect relationships are not proven and, in most cases,require additional studies.Strong focus in this Special Issue is maintained on vascularand cerebrovascular consequences of prenatal alcohol exposure.Momin et al. review vascular contributors to the neurobiologicaleffects of prenatal alcohol exposure. This systematic review of theliterature leads to a conclusion that although the brain has beentraditionally considered as a main target of prenatal alcoholexposure, data from human samples and bench studiesdocument that developing vasculature is equally sensitive toan early alcohol hit. Saha and Mayhan concur with thisconclusion and expand upon it by presenting a review ofmechanisms that underly cerebral vascular damage byprenatal alcohol exposure and which enable lifelongconsequences of this adverse developmental event. Bothreviews highlight the fact that our approach to treatment ofadverse developmental outcomes should involve a multi-organstrategy.Waite and Burd conclude the chapter of alcohol prenataleffects with a review of literature on common developmentaltrajectories and clinical identification of children with fetalalcohol spectrum disorders. They describe current challengesin the diagnosis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders as opposed toprevalent behavioral disorders. Finally, Fleming et al (in press)offer an early, time-efficient screening tool which could assist inefforts to diagnose fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in largecohorts of children. Wide clinical utility of this newly offeredtool remains to be documented.Following current trends of increased opioid use, misuse, andopioid-related deaths, Madurai et al. describe alterations in theperipheral inflammatory and central immune landscapesfollowing prenatal exposure of rats to methadone. The authorsconclude that such alterations may underly long-termconsequences of developmental brain injury includingcognitive and attention deficits. However, identification ofaltered patterns may also serve as a biomarker and atherapeutic target. Translation of these findings from bench tobedside remains a goal for near future.Author contributionsAB wrote a first draft. DA edited and added more detail. Allauthors contributed to the article and approved the submittedversion.Conflict of interestThe authors declare that the research was conducted in theabsence of any commercial or financial relationships that couldbe construed as a potential conflict of interest.References1. Clark JA. Smoking and the prenatal patient. Miss Doct (1950) 27(8):369–71.2. Gianutsos G, Abbatiello ER. The effect of pre-natal cannabis sativa on mazelearning ability in the rat. Psychopharmacologia (1972) 27(2):117–22. doi:10.1007/BF004393703. MacDowell EC, Lord EM. Reproduction in alcoholic mice: i. treated females. astudy of the influence of alcohol on ovarian activity, prenatal mortality and sex ratio.Wilhelm Roux Arch Entwickl Mech Org (1927) 109(4):549–83. doi:10.1007/BF020791014. Madden JD, Payne TF, Miller S. Maternal cocaine abuse and effect on thenewborn. Pediatrics (1986) 77(2):209–11. doi:10.1542/peds.77.2.2095. Wanner NM, Colwell ML, Faulk C. The epigenetic legacy of illicit drugs:developmental exposures and late-life phenotypes. Environ Epigenet (2019) 5(4):dvz022. doi:10.1093/eep/dvz0226. Bukiya AN, Dopico AM. Fetal cerebral circulation as target of maternal alcoholconsumption. Alcohol Clin Exp Res (2018) 42(6):1006–18. doi:10.1111/acer.137557. Fride E, Gobshtis N, Dahan H, Weller A, Giuffrida A, Ben-Shabat S. Theendocannabinoid system during development: emphasis on perinatal events anddelayed effects. Vitam Horm (2009) 81:139–58. doi:10.1016/S0083-6729(09)81006-68. Tucker JS, Seelam R, Green HD, Jr, Rodriguez A, Pollard MS. Alcohol andcannabis co-use in a national sample of U.S. adults ages 30-80. Addict Behav (2023)142:107663. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2023.1076639. Jones AA, Schneider KE, Tobin KE, O’Sullivan D, Latkin CA. Daily opioid andstimulant co-use and nonfatal overdoses in the context of social disadvantage:findings on marginalized populations. J Subst Use Addict Treat (2023) 151:208986.doi:10.1016/j.josat.2023.208986Advances in Drug and Alcohol Research Published by Frontiers02Bukiya and Ali 10.3389/adar.2023.11836

Editorial: Substance abuse and early development

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Editorial: Substance abuse and early development

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