Transcriptional analysis of neonatal mouse cortex following morphine exposure
We developed a mouse model of NOWS that includes gestational and post-natal morphine exposure that encompasses the developmental equivalent of all three human trimesters of gestation. This exposure paradigm causes delayed developmental milestones and acute withdrawal phenotypes reminiscent of those observed in infants. Overall design: RNA was isolated from mouse cortex from male and female pups. We performed bulk RNA sequencing in the right hemisphere, generating male and female-specific datasets for morphine or saline, in each of the three exposure protocols, six hours after birth for the PND1 cohort and six hours after the last morphine injection for the PND15 and 3-trimester cohorts. Importantly, the number of animals per group was similar (N=5-7 animals), and the quality controls, library construction and sequence parameters were also identical across all groups.