 Fetal Exposure to Substance Abuse Changes Brain Structure
Source: HealthDay Date: 04/08/08
Babies born to women who use cocaine, alcohol or tobacco during pregnancy
may have brain structure changes that persist into early adolescence, a new U.S. study says.
Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and the Boston Medical Center used MRI scans
to study the brains of 35 children, average age 12, who were exposed to
the substances while in the womb.
"We found that
reductions in cortical gray matter and total brain volumes were
associated with prenatal exposure to cocaine, alcohol or cigarettes,"
study first author Dr. Michael Rivkin, a neurologist at Children's
Hospital Boston, said in a prepared statement.
The more substances a child was exposed to, the greater the reduction in brain volume.
The study,
published in the April issue of the journal Pediatrics, is the first to
document joint long-term effects of prenatal cocaine, alcohol and
tobacco exposure on brain structure, Rivkin said.
Previous studies
that documented brain effects of prenatal alcohol exposure were mostly
limited to children with fetal alcohol syndrome. Children with that
condition were excluded from this new study.
Rivkin noted
that his study was too small to find statistically significant effects
of single substances after factoring in exposure to other substances,
and was also too small to document the effects of different levels of
prenatal exposure.
However, Rivkin
said the overall findings are highly suggestive, and he and his
colleagues would like to continue their research into this important
public health matter. It's estimated that more than one million babies
born each year in the United States have been exposed to at least one
of these substance while in the womb.
Health-care
providers should offer pregnant women comprehensive care to help them
reduce the use of all harmful substances. And public health campaigns
shouldn't ignore the risks of some substances while focusing on others,
since the greater the number of total prenatal exposures, the more
likely there will be harmful and lasting effects on a baby's developing
brain, the study authors said.
More information
The American Pregnancy Association has more about pregnancy wellness.
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