Prenatal morphine exposure alters susceptibility to bicuculline seizures in a sex- and age-specific manner

Bicuculline was used to investigate seizure susceptibility in pre- and peri pubertal male and female rats exposed prenatally to morphine. Morphine-expo sed males showed increased seizure susceptibility at prepubertal and decrea sed susceptibility at peripubertal ages. There was no difference in seizure susceptibility in morphine-exposed females at either age. Therefore, the p resent data suggest that males are more vulnerable than females to morphine -induced insults during prenatal brain development. (C) 2000 Published by E lsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.