Behavioral Flexibility Impaired After Exposure to Oxycodone
Brief usage of the painkiller oxycodone may impair behavioral flexibility even after that use ends, suggesting impaired decision-making as an enduring consequence of exposure, according to a study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published November 17 in the journal Learning and Memory. "Oxycodone binds to opiate receptors that are distributed throughout brain systems involved in important learning and memory processes," says Katharine M. Seip-Cammack, postdoctoral fellow and lead author of the study. The research study, led by Matthew Shapiro, PhD, Professor of Neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, compared the effects of oxycodone exposure on recent memory, established habits and behavioral flexibility.
- Dr. Katherine M. Seip-Cammack, Postdoctoral Fellow, Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Dr. Matthew Shapiro, Professor Neuroscience, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
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