Prenatal Opioid Exposure Linked to Smaller Brain Volume
Opioid exposure in the second or third trimester was associated with smaller brain volumes in newborns, MedPage Today reports. Total brain volume averaged nearly 5% smaller among 173 newborns with antenatal opioid exposure than 96 without such exposure after controlling for birth weight, postmenstrual age at MRI and maternal factors, according to a prospective study by Catherine Limperopoulos, Ph.D., and colleagues.
