Implementation of universal screening for substance use in pregnancy in a public healthcare system.

Objective: Screening questionnaires are one option for identification of at-risk substance use and substance use disorder (SUD) during pregnancy. We report the experience of a single institution following universal implementation of a brief screening tool for self-reported substance use at the first prenatal encounter.

Study Design: This is a prospective implementation study evaluating screening for substance use in pregnancy in a large safety net healthcare system.

Early Developmental EEG and Seizure Phenotypes in a Full Gene Deletion of Ubiquitin Protein Ligase E3A Rat Model of Angelman Syndrome.

Angelman syndrome (AS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with unique behavioral phenotypes, seizures, and distinctive electroencephalographic (EEG) patterns. Recent studies identified motor, social communication, and learning and memory deficits in a CRISPR engineered rat model with a complete maternal deletion of the gene. It is unknown whether this model recapitulates other aspects of the clinical disorder.

Strain-dependence of the Angelman Syndrome phenotypes in Ube3a maternal deficiency mice.

Angelman syndrome (AS) is a genetic neurodevelopmental disorder, most commonly caused by deletion or mutation of the maternal allele of the UBE3A gene, with behavioral phenotypes and seizures as key features. Currently no treatment is available, and therapeutics are often ineffective in controlling AS-associated seizures. Previous publications using the Ube3a maternal deletion model have shown behavioral and seizure susceptibility phenotypes, however findings have been variable and merit characterization of electroencephalographic (EEG) activity.