Adolescence is a critical period of development with robust behavioral, morphological, hormonal, and neurochemical changes including changes in brain regions implicated in the reinforcing effects of drugs such as opioids. Here we examine the preclinical and, where appropriate complementary clinical literature, for the behavioral and neurological changes induced by adolescent opioid exposure/use and their long-term consequences during adulthood. Adolescent opioid exposure results in a widened biphasic shift in reinforcement with increased impact of positive rewarding aspects during initial use and profound negative reinforcement during adulthood. Females may have enhanced vulnerability due to fast onset of antinociceptive tolerance and reduced severity of somatic withdrawal symptoms during adolescence. Overall, adolescent opioid exposure, be it legally prescribed protracted intake or illicit consumption, results in significant and prolonged consequences of increased opioid reward concomitant with reduced analgesic efficacy and exacerbated somatic withdrawal severity during opioid use/exposure in adulthood. These findings are highly relevant to physicians, parents, law makers, and the general public as adolescent opioid exposure/misuse results in heightened risk for substance use disorders.

青春期是发育的关键时期，其行为，形态，激素和神经化学变化都非常强劲，包括大脑区域的变化，这些变化与阿片类药物的增强作用有关。在这里，我们检查了临床前以及在适当情况下的补充临床文献，了解青少年阿片类药物暴露/使用引起的行为和神经系统变化以及它们在成年期的长期后果。青少年阿片类药物暴露会导致强化的双相转变扩大，在初次使用时会增加积极奖励方面的影响，而在成年期会产生深远的负面影响。由于抗伤害感受能力的快速发作以及青春期的躯体戒断症状的严重程度降低，女性可能具有更大的脆弱性。总体而言，青少年阿片类药物的暴露量，无论是法律规定的长期摄入或非法消费，都会导致阿片类药物奖励增加的显着和长期后果，并伴随成年期阿片类药物使用/暴露期间止痛功效的降低和躯体戒断严重程度的加剧。这些发现与医生，父母，立法者和普通公众高度相关，因为青少年阿片类药物暴露/滥用会增加药物滥用疾病的风险。