This meta- analysis showed no significant impairments , at a non-conservative significance level of p < 0.05 , for cognitive , psychomotor or observed behavioural outcomes for chronic intra-uterine exposed infants and pre-school children compared to non-exposed infants and children .
However , all domains suggested a trend to poor outcomes in infants/children of opioid using mothers .
Conclusions Chronic intra-uterine opioid exposed infants and pre-school children experienced no significant impairment in neurobehavioral outcomes when compared to non-exposed peers , although in all domains there was a trend to poorer outcomes .
Background It is assumed within the accumulated literature that children born of pregnant opioid dependent mothers have impaired neurobehavioral function as a consequence of chronic intrauterine opioid use .
Impaired performance in a test of decision-making by opiate-dependent tobacco smokers.
This study tested whether opiate dependence , tobacco smoking , or their combination accompanied impaired performance on the  gambling task ( GT )  , which tests decision-making .  GT previously detected impairments in patients with lesions of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and in substance abusers . Four groups were matched on demographic characteristics and intelligence : methadone-maintained smokers ( n = 9 ) and nonsmokers ( n = 9 ) , and control ( i.e. , not opiate-dependent ) smokers ( n = 9 ) and nonsmokers ( n = 10 ) . The  Wisconsin Card Sorting Task ( WCST )  was administered to test whether differences in  GT performance reflected generalized deficits in prefrontal cortical function . While there were no significant group differences on the WCST , groups differed significantly on  GT performance ( F(3,31 ) = 2.95 , P = 0.048 ) , controlling for depressive symptom ratings and childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder .  Methadone-maintained smokers ( but not nonsmokers ) performed more poorly than either of the two control groups ( P = 0.007 versus smokers ; P = 0.024 versus nonsmokers ) . In a planned analysis of methadone-maintained subjects , smokers scored more poorly on  GT  than nonsmokers ( F(1,18 ) = 5.64 , P = 0.032 ) and had more treatment failures ( 67 % heroin use during the last 30 days versus 20 % ) . The findings suggest that among opiate-dependent individuals , tobacco smoking may be a marker for a more severe form of substance abuse disorder , reflecting impaired decision-making , as modeled by GT
This meta- analysis showed no significant impairments , at a non-conservative significance level of p < 0.05 , for cognitive , psychomotor or observed behavioural outcomes for chronic intra-uterine exposed infants and pre-school children compared to non-exposed infants and children .
However , all domains suggested a trend to poor outcomes in infants/children of opioid using mothers .
Conclusions Chronic intra-uterine opioid exposed infants and pre-school children experienced no significant impairment in neurobehavioral outcomes when compared to non-exposed peers , although in all domains there was a trend to poorer outcomes .
Background It is assumed within the accumulated literature that children born of pregnant opioid dependent mothers have impaired neurobehavioral function as a consequence of chronic intrauterine opioid use .