Neonatal and Pediatric Medicine
Open Access

Biography

Anne M. Neumann has completed her PhD from State University of New York at Buffalo, USA on behavioral neuroscience and MA from the same University on Psychology, and BA from Martin-Luther University at Halle-Wittenberg, Germany on Psychology. Adjunct Instructor, Department of Psychology, University at Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany, Dr. Neumann AM worked as Adjunct instructor, Department of Psychology, LCC International University, Klaipeda, Lithuania and as a Post-doctoral Research Specialist/Associate, Department of Family Medicine she also worked as Research assistant, Differential Psychology and Diagnostics and Interventions, Department of Psychology at Martin-Luther-University in 2004. Dr. Neumann has got Young Investigator Award, American Society of Addiction Medicine conference 2012 and acting as Associate Member of the American Society of Addiction Medicine

Research Interest

Dr. Neumann AM has a passion for unraveling the neuropsychological mechanisms of acute and chronic pain and opioid addiction as well as phenomena surrounding parturition such as post-partum depression. Specifically, Neumann interested in conducting research that elucidates the neuroanatomical link between chronic pain, depression, and addiction. During her graduate studies, she investigated opioid-mediated behaviors and processes, such as analgesia and maternal behavior that can be facilitated by ingestion of afterbirth, which occurs in most mammalian females at parturition. Kristal consequently termed the active substance in afterbirth material POEF (Placental-Opioid-Enhancing Factor). POEF ingestion increased opioid-mediated analgesia produced by either endogenous opioids during pregnancy or exogenous opioid. During her graduate studies she investigated the receptor and neuroanatomical specificity of this phenomenon in rats utilizing various pain threshold assays such as the hotplate test and the hot-water tail-withdrawal test. Because POEF ingestion enhances δ and κ opioid-mediated analgesia, but attenuates μ opioid-mediated analgesia, Dr. Neumann AM interested in investigating whether heterodimers of opioid receptors mediate the enhancement of opioid-induced analgesia by afterbirth ingestion. POEF ingestion also facilitates maternal behavior directly and indirectly via the opioid system. For example, POEF ingestion enhances the facilitative effect of morphine injected into the ventral tegmental area on the onset of maternal behavior in female nulliparous rats. For her dissertation Dr. Neumann conducted experiments to determine whether POEF ingestion modifies the long-term behavioral adaptations that are observed after repeated exposure to opioids, such as tolerance to the analgesic effects of morphine, sensitization to the locomotor-activating effects of morphine, and withdrawal. The results showed that daily ingestion of amniotic fluid in conjunction with an injection of a low dose of morphine for 10 days attenuates the development of tolerance to the analgesic effects of morphine. Repeated placenta ingestion in conjunction with a morphine injection for 10 days reduced the sensitivity to the locomotor effects of morphine 17 days after the last morphine administration. Identifying the active substance in afterbirth might provide an alternative option for pain and addiction management by enhancing pain relief and preventing tolerance and the dose escalation observed with opioid use disorder. Dr. Neumann hypothesizes the active substance in POEF to be oxytocin and plan to conduct research to test this using microdialysis. She plans to continue this research by investigating the influence of afterbirth ingestion on the development of naloxone-precipitated withdrawal. To confirm that POEF’s influence on the development of morphine tolerance is associated with the opioid system Dr. Neumann has planned to use naloxone to see whether it antagonizes POEF’s effect on the development of morphine tolerance. She also plans on studying the role of afterbirth ingestion on the rewarding effects of morphine using the self-administration paradigm and conditioned place preference. This might provide a solution for the current epidemic of addiction to prescription opioid medications in the USA.
Specifically, she plan to conduct the following studies:
1. Influence of POEF on the development of abstinence-precipitated and naloxone-precipitated withdrawal
2. Influence of afterbirth ingestion on sensitization to the locomotor-activating effects of morphine
3. Influence of afterbirth ingestion on sensitization to the rewarding effects of morphine
4. Role of opioid heterodimers in POEF’s ability of modify opioid-mediated processes such as analgesia and tolerance development

Certificate

Global Speakers in the subject

Global Experts in the subject