ERP correlates of cognitive control in children prenatally exposed to methadone or buprenorphine

Much is still unknown about the potential long-term effects of prenatal methadone and buprenorphine exposure. We examined neural correlates of cognitive control in 19 prenatally methadone and buprenorphine exposed and 21 nondrug exposed children, aged 9-11 years. Children performed a modified version of the Eriksen Flanker task, which taps into selective attention, conflict response, and response inhibition mechanisms. We investigated behavioral responses and the ERP components N1, P2, N2, P3, and the late positive component (LPC). Children in the exposed group showed normal cognitive control function. However, an atypical ERP response related to perceptual and attention allocation processes was found in the exposed group.