Sigma Xi Poster Competition
The Effects of Exposure to Prescription and Illicit Drugs/Drug Metabolites on Neonatal Behavioral and Motor Function Development
Academic Level at Time of Presentation
Graduate
Major
Biology
List all Project Mentors & Advisor(s)
Dr. Dena Weinberger; Dr. Bikram Subedi; Dr. Gary ZeRuth, Dr. Laura Sullivan-Beckers
Presentation Format
Poster Presentation
Abstract/Description
The rise of prescription and illicit psychoactive drug use in the 21st century has brought along with it a host of problematic effects, ranging from sociological to psychological to even environmental. While the problems caused by use itself are well understood at this point, it is the byproducts of use that have received less attention. The drug metabolites and unaltered drugs excreted after use have to end up somewhere, typically in municipal water systems. The waste treatment facilities are not designed to remove or treat these compounds and as such they will frequently make their way out into the watershed where their long term environmental impact is not well documented. This contamination of the water supply may have detrimental physiological and psychological effects on its users, as several of these byproducts have been documented as toxic and/or teratogenic in a high enough concentration. Furthermore, many of these drugs and their metabolites have overlapping targets, leading to potential synergism of effects. To understand the potential risks of this type of exposure, zebrafish larvae were dosed with a cocktail of psychoactive drug byproducts with concentrations based on samples taken from waste treatment facilities in western Kentucky and subjected to several assays intended to identify changes in motor function and stereotypical behaviors when compared to untreated larvae. While trials are still ongoing, early results from testing involving stimulation of sensory areas of the larvae and observation of spontaneous motor behavior indicates a marked hypersensitivity to touch at certain neural sites, as well as a increased threshold/lower incidence for anxiety and fear responses, which may be indicative of changes in gene expression related to these behavioral and sensory functions.
Spring Scholars Week 2024 Event
Sigma Xi Poster Competition
The Effects of Exposure to Prescription and Illicit Drugs/Drug Metabolites on Neonatal Behavioral and Motor Function Development
The rise of prescription and illicit psychoactive drug use in the 21st century has brought along with it a host of problematic effects, ranging from sociological to psychological to even environmental. While the problems caused by use itself are well understood at this point, it is the byproducts of use that have received less attention. The drug metabolites and unaltered drugs excreted after use have to end up somewhere, typically in municipal water systems. The waste treatment facilities are not designed to remove or treat these compounds and as such they will frequently make their way out into the watershed where their long term environmental impact is not well documented. This contamination of the water supply may have detrimental physiological and psychological effects on its users, as several of these byproducts have been documented as toxic and/or teratogenic in a high enough concentration. Furthermore, many of these drugs and their metabolites have overlapping targets, leading to potential synergism of effects. To understand the potential risks of this type of exposure, zebrafish larvae were dosed with a cocktail of psychoactive drug byproducts with concentrations based on samples taken from waste treatment facilities in western Kentucky and subjected to several assays intended to identify changes in motor function and stereotypical behaviors when compared to untreated larvae. While trials are still ongoing, early results from testing involving stimulation of sensory areas of the larvae and observation of spontaneous motor behavior indicates a marked hypersensitivity to touch at certain neural sites, as well as a increased threshold/lower incidence for anxiety and fear responses, which may be indicative of changes in gene expression related to these behavioral and sensory functions.