A follow-up study of attentional behavior in 6-year-old children exposed prenatally to marihuana, cigarettes, and alcohol

Fried, Peter A.; Watkinson, Barbara; Gray, Robert M.

doi:10.1016/0892-0362(92)90036-a

Cited by 225 publications

(154 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Moreover, the increased motor activity observed in both infant and juvenile offspring of WIN-treated dams is consistent with data showing that children prenatally exposed to marijuana were rated, at a prepuberty age, as hyperactive, inattentive, and particularly impulsive (3,19).…”

supporting

confidence: 74%

“…Furthermore, because previous clinical findings have reported abnormal motor activity in children of mothers who used marijuana during pregnancy (3,19), the effect of prenatal WIN exposure on spontaneous motility was analyzed in infant (12-day-old), juvenile (40-day-old), and adult (80-day-old) offspring.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…LTP was studied in hippocampal slices obtained from 40-day-old rats. Glutamate release was measured by microdialysis in 40-and 80-day-old rats as well as in hippocampal primary cell cultures obtained from pups born from dams exposed to WIN.Furthermore, because previous clinical findings have reported abnormal motor activity in children of mothers who used marijuana during pregnancy (3,19), the effect of prenatal WIN exposure on spontaneous motility was analyzed in infant (12-day-old), juvenile (40-day-old), and adult (80-day-old) offspring. …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Prenatal exposure to a cannabinoid agonist produces memory deficits linked to dysfunction in hippocampal long-term potentiation and glutamate release

Mereu

Fà

Ferraro

et al. 2003

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

185

153

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To investigate the possible long-term consequences of gestational exposure to cannabinoids on cognitive functions, pregnant rats were administered with the CB1 receptor agonist WIN 55,212-2 (WIN), at a dose (0.5 mg͞kg) that causes neither malformations nor overt signs of toxicity. Prenatal WIN exposure induced a disruption of memory retention in 40-and 80-day-old offspring subjected to a passive avoidance task. A hyperactive behavior at the ages of 12 and 40 days was also found. The memory impairment caused by the gestational exposure to WIN was correlated with alterations of hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) and glutamate release. LTP induced in CA3-CA1 synapses decayed faster in brain slices of rats born from WIN-treated dams, whereas posttetanic and shortterm potentiation were similar to the control group. In line with LTP shortening, in vivo microdialysis showed a significant decrease in basal and K ؉ -evoked extracellular glutamate levels in the hippocampus of juvenile and adult rats born from WIN-treated dams. A similar reduction in glutamate outflow was also observed in primary cell cultures of hippocampus obtained from pups born from mothers exposed to WIN. The decrease in hippocampal glutamate outflow appears to be the cause of LTP disruption, which in turn might underlie, at least in part, the long-lasting impairment of cognitive functions caused by the gestational exposure to this cannabinoid agonist. These findings could provide an explanation of cognitive alterations observed in children born from women who use marijuana during pregnancy. E ven though marijuana is the most widely used illegal drug among women at reproductive age, reports dealing with the effects of prenatal exposure to this substance of abuse on the length of gestation, fetal growth, and offspring behavior are still controversial (1-4). Confounding factors, such as possible impurities in the drug and concomitant tobacco smoking, may be responsible for inconsistencies in the results reported in studies to date (4, 5). It is likely that many of these conflicting results are due to methodological problems such as the measurement of neonatal outcomes and the context in which the research is conducted. More complex and less understood is the scenario concerning the possible long-term consequences of in utero exposure to cannabis derivatives on cognitive functions. In fact, data on this issue are sparse, and the identification of alterations in brain development and adult expression of cognitive and behavioral functions is far from definitive. These inconclusive results may depend on ethical, practical, and interpretative difficulties surrounding research with human subjects (4). In this regard, animal models provide a useful tool for examining the possible developmental and long-term effects of prenatal exposure to cannabinoids (CBs).Studies performed in adult rats have demonstrated the involvement of a specific CB receptor (CB1) highly expressed in many brain regions (6) in the reinforcing effects of CBs (7) and also in the disru...

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confidence: 74%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Prenatal exposure to a cannabinoid agonist produces memory deficits linked to dysfunction in hippocampal long-term potentiation and glutamate release

Mereu

Fà

Ferraro

et al. 2003

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

185

153

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…For the most part, previous studies have reported an association between behavioral problems, such as hyperactivity and decreased attention spans, and maternal smoking during pregnancy (7,(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22). Only one study, which had an insufficient number of heavy smokers (23), did not report such a relationship.…”

mentioning

confidence: 68%

Association of prenatal maternal or postnatal child environmental tobacco smoke exposure and neurodevelopmental and behavioral problems in children.

Eskenazi

Castorina

1999

Environ Health Perspect

184

111

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We review the potential neurodevelopmental and behavioral effects of children's prenatal and/or postnatal exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). Children's exposure to ETS has been assessed in epidemiologic studies as a risk factor for a variety of behavioral and neurodevelopmenta problems induding reduced general intellectual ability, skills in language and auditory tasks, and academic achievement, and behavioral problems such as hyperactivity and decrease attention spans. We review 17 epidemiologic studies that have attempted to separate the efcs of maternal active smoking during pregnancy from passive ETS smoke exposure by the pregnant mother or the child. Based on the available data, we found that ETS exposure could cause subtle changes in children's neurodevelopment and behavior. However, studies to date are difficult to interpret because of the unknown influence of uncontrolled confounding factors, imprecision in measurements of smoking exposure, and coilinearity of pre-and postnatal maternal smoking. Although some evidence suggests that maternal smoking during pregnancy may be associated with deficits in intellectual ability and behavioral problems in children, the impact of prenatal or postnatal ETS exposure remains less dear.

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“…Women's health conditions and behaviors may play such a mediating role. First, there is substantial evidence that maternal health conditions and behaviors influence a range of child health outcomes, including low birthweight, 10 behavior problems, [11][12][13] and asthma. 14,15 Second, women's health conditions have been clearly associated with SES.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Intergenerational Health Disparities: Socioeconomic Status, Women's Health Conditions, and Child Behavior Problems

2005

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SYNOPSISObjective. Relatively little is known about the intergenerational mechanisms that lead to social disparities in child health. We examined whether the association between low socioeconomic status (SES) and child behavior problems is mediated by maternal health conditions and behavior.Methods. Prospective cohort data (1979-1998) on 2,677 children and their mothers were obtained from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. SES, the Child Behavior Problems Index (BPI), and maternal smoking, depressive symptoms, and alcohol use before, during, and after pregnancy were examined.Results. Lower income and lower maternal education were associated with increased child BPI scores. Adjustment for maternal smoking, depressive symptoms, and alcohol use attenuated the associations between SES and child BPI by 26% to 49%. These maternal health conditions often occurred together, persisted over time, and were associated with the mother's own childhood SES and pre-pregnancy health.Conclusions. Social disparities in women's health conditions may help shape the likelihood of behavior problems in the subsequent generation. Improved public health programs and services for disadvantaged women across the lifecourse may not only address their own urgent health needs, but reduce social disparities in the health and well-being of their children.

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A follow-up study of attentional behavior in 6-year-old children exposed prenatally to marihuana, cigarettes, and alcohol

Cited by 225 publications

References 20 publications

Prenatal exposure to a cannabinoid agonist produces memory deficits linked to dysfunction in hippocampal long-term potentiation and glutamate release

Prenatal exposure to a cannabinoid agonist produces memory deficits linked to dysfunction in hippocampal long-term potentiation and glutamate release

Association of prenatal maternal or postnatal child environmental tobacco smoke exposure and neurodevelopmental and behavioral problems in children.

Intergenerational Health Disparities: Socioeconomic Status, Women's Health Conditions, and Child Behavior Problems

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