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Access Type
WSU Access
Date of Award
January 2024
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Susanne Brummelte
Abstract
Repeated painful procedures in the NICU are associated with a multitude of effects on the neurodevelopment in preterm infants, and current methods of neonatal pain management are unable to prevent the distress or long-term changes induced by these procedures. Cannabidiol (CBD) may be particularly effective for neonatal pain management because it reduces pain unpleasantness ratings, mitigates biological stress responses, and has minimal side effects. However, there is limited research on the effects of neonatal CBD exposure. The present study investigated if pretreating rat pups with low doses of CBD can mitigate a behavioral stress response (ultrasonic vocalizations; USVs) to neonatal pain exposure and prevent the long-term effects that neonatal pain has on neurodevelopment and behavior without CBD itself impairing development. Pain exposure altered USVs in a frequency-dependent manner, increased adult anxiety-like behavior, and in adult females slowed corticosterone recovery after stress exposure. CBD partially mitigated the effect of pain on USVs and corticosterone recovery but not adult anxiety-like behavior. Additionally, CBD had no permanent effects on measurements of neuromotor development, neonatal weight gain, age at sexual maturity, or estrus cycling in adult female subjects. The results indicate that CBD may be able to prevent some consequences of neonatal procedural pain but will be most effective in tandem with another drug that can fill the gaps in CBD’s protective effects.
Recommended Citation
Timmerman, Brian Michael, "Cannabidiol Partially Mitigates The Consequences Of Neonatal Exposure To Repeated Procedural Pain" (2024). Wayne State University Dissertations. 3966.
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_dissertations/3966
