# Opioids and Maternal Brain-Behavior Adaptation During the Early Postpartum

> **NIH NIH R01** · STATE UNIVERSITY NEW YORK STONY BROOK · 2021 · $28,838

## Abstract

Project Summary
 Opioids and Maternal Brain-Behavior Adaptation During the Early Postpartum
 Opioid use disorder is a fast-growing and devastating epidemic in the US, affecting a high proportion of
child-bearing women, with many suffering comorbid mood disorders. Untreated opioid use and dependence
may cause withdrawal symptoms, impair interpersonal interactions and may be associated with polysubstance
use and neonatal abstinence syndrome. These problems are linked to higher risks of child maltreatment and
costly utilization of foster care. Buprenorphine Treatment (BT) reduces withdrawal and other deleterious
effects of illicit opioids for expectant mothers. However, the effects of BT on maternal neurobiology and
infant-oriented behaviors are unknown. Preclinical maternal brain-behavior research and human brain
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have provided a model of corticolimbic maternal caregiving
neurocircuits (MCN) for parenting and offspring survival. The MCN includes two reciprocally modulating
systems for (1) maternal caregiving, mediated by the hypothalamic medial preoptic area (mPOA), ventral
tegmental area (VTA), nucleus accumbens (NAc) and ventral pallidum; and (2) maternal defensive/aggressive
behaviors, mediated by periaqueductal grey (PAG). For humans, the MCN regulates flexible responses to the
demands of their own infant during adaptation to the early postpartum period - such as to the unique,
ethologically salient own-baby cry. We aim to examine the human MCN and maternal behaviors in a group of
opioid-dependent mothers undergoing BT (n=80), as compared to non-opioid using Depression Matched
Controls (MC, n=80). All participant will have 2 MRI scans: T1 at 1-month postpartum and T2 at 4-month
postpartum. The drug use and moods in all participants will be assessed at these two time points. We will
combine multimodal neuroimaging methods, including functional responses to own-baby cry, gray matter
volumes and resting state activity with assessments of maternal caregiving thoughts and behaviors – including
measures of sensitivity and hostility – at T1 and T2. Based on our preliminary research and preclinical models
we hypothesize that BT increases caregiving MCN responses to own vs. other-baby cry and such
effects are linked to maternal caregiving thoughts and behaviors. We predict that T1 to T2 plastic
adaptation in the MCN will be affected by BT - such that BT may interfere with normally opposing caregiving
and defense subsystems of the MCN. Our controls will include recruitment of depression matched participants
and statistical control for maternal childhood aversity, polysubstance use and offspring neonatal abstinence
syndrome. Finally, we will explore the effects of these factors on brain and maternal behaviors within the group
of BT-treated mothers. The proposed research will elucidate the effects of BT on the neurobiology of parenting
- with translational potential to optimize current approaches and suggest directio...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10399732
- **Project number:** 3R01DA047336-02S1
- **Recipient organization:** STATE UNIVERSITY NEW YORK STONY BROOK
- **Principal Investigator:** James Edward Swain
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $28,838
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2019-09-30 → 2024-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10399732

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10399732, Opioids and Maternal Brain-Behavior Adaptation During the Early Postpartum (3R01DA047336-02S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10399732. Licensed CC0.

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