# A Novel Mouse Model of Prenatal Opioid Exposure

> **NIH NIH R03** · FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $77,000

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Opioid use within the US has reached epidemic proportions, negatively impacting not just individuals and their
families, but also communities. One of the most affected populations is pregnant women and their exposed
offspring. Despite efforts to reduce access to prescription opioids, more potent, synthetic analogs such as
fentanyl are becoming more readily available. Little is known of the long-term effects of fentanyl in exposed
children. In this proposal, we will develop a clinically relevant mouse model of prenatal fentanyl exposure to
determine the pharmacokinetic and functional (behavioral) profiles in exposed offspring. Developmental
opioids are known to affect specific behavioral domains, and we will test offspring at both early (neonatal) and
late (adult) ages. We hypothesize that fentanyl will diminish performance of behaviors related to drug reward
and addiction, cognition, affect, social outcomes, and motor coordination. We further posit that the route and
duration of exposure will exacerbate these deficiencies. This study will be the first to examine how long-term
developmental fentanyl exposure alters both short- and long-term functional outcomes and will position us to
determine the critical neural circuit changes underlying these altered phenotypes in order to develop
therapeutic approaches in exposed children

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10128847
- **Project number:** 1R03DA051677-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** DEVON L GRAHAM
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $77,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-04-01 → 2023-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10128847

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10128847, A Novel Mouse Model of Prenatal Opioid Exposure (1R03DA051677-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10128847. Licensed CC0.

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