Background: Opioid maintenance treatment (OMT) is widely used to treat pregnant women with a history of opioid dependence. This study investigated whether maternal methadone/buprenorphine dose and nicotine use in pregnancy affects the occurrence and duration of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) in the infant. Methods: Forty-one pregnant women from OMT programmes in Norway who gave birth between January 2005 and January 2007 were enrolled in a national prospective study. Thirty-eight women (81% of the population) were interviewed in the last trimester of pregnancy and 3 months after delivery. Data from the European Addiction Severity Index and a questionnaire measuring enrolled birth information were compared with medical records and urine analyses. Results: Treatment requiring NAS occurred in 58% of the methadone-exposed and in 67% of the buprenorphine-exposed infants. There was no significant relationship between a maternal dose of methadone or buprenorphine in pregnancy and NAS treatment duration for the infant. The mean number of cigarettes consumed correlated significantly with NAS treatment duration for the methadone group. Birth weight for the methadone group was approximately 200 g above international findings despite high doses during pregnancy. Conclusions: Maternal methadone/buprenorphine dose predicted neither the occurrence nor the need for NAS treatment for the infant.

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Background and aimsAlthough an increasing number of children are born to mothers in opioid maintenance therapy (OMT), little is known about the long-term effects of these opioids. Previous studies suggest an association between prenatal OMT exposure and difficulties in eye movement control. Also, the effects of tobacco smoking on eye movements have been reported. The present study examined the influence of eye movements, i.e. smooth pursuit, on visuomotor capabilities in children of smoking mothers in OMT.DesignThe study comprised a 2 (OMT versus contrast group) × 2 (slow versus fast smooth pursuit) between-subject factorial design.SettingThe cognitive developmental research unit at the University of Oslo, Norway.ParticipantsParticipants were 26 4-year-old children of tobacco-smoking women in OMT and 23 non-exposed 4-year-old children, with non-smoking mothers, matched by gender and age.MeasurementEye movements and smooth pursuit were recorded using a Tobii 1750 eyetracker. Visuomotor functions were examined by Bender test.FindingsThe OMT group tracked slowly moving objects with smooth pursuit in a similar manner to their non-exposed peers. When fast smooth pursuit was measured, the OMT group of children tracked the object more slowly than the contrast group, P = 0.02, ηp2 = 0.11. A regression analysis showed that fast smooth pursuit predicted children’s performance on a visuomotor task, R2 = 0.37.ConclusionImpaired eye-tracking skills in 4-year-old children exposed to methadone or buprenorphine and tobacco prenatally could inhibit the development of some cognitive functions in later life.

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