Can Prenatal Caffeine Exposure Affect Behavioral Inhibition?

Abstract

Given the widespread use of caffeine and its potential nonoptimal effects during pregnancy, it is remarkable and distressing that almost nothing is known about the long-term effects of prenatal caffeine exposure in humans. Research on nonhumans reveals that prenatal caffeine exposure is associated with an enduring tendency toward a profile of fearfulness, hypoactivity, and exaggerated stress in uncertain situations. A similar pattern of behavioral inhibition has been observed in humans and has been attributed to various causes such as inborn temperament or environmental influences. The author's conjecture is that prenatal caffeine exposure could be an additional factor contributing to the tendency toward behavioral inhibition. One mechanism for this effect is that caffeine causes an upregulation of adenosine receptors, thus creating a vulnerability to adenosine-induced inhibition of neuronal firing and neurotransmitter release. Caffeine (1,3,7-trimethylxanthine, found in coffee) and the related methylxanthines theophylline (1,3-dimethylxanthine, found in tea) and theobromine (3,7-dimethylxanthine, found in cocoa products) are consumed daily by more than 80% of the world's population (R. M. Gilbert, 1984), and world coffee consumption is increasing (D'Amicis & Viani, 1993). Caffeine is also present in soft drinks and prescription and nonprescription medicines, making caffeine the most widely used of all psychoactive drugs (Nehlig, Daval, & Debry, 1992). The average per capita intake of caffeine in the United States is 200 mg daily, which is the average dosage obtained in two cups of coffee, two or three cups of tea, three or four cola drinks, or six to eight analgesics-pain relievers (e.g., Anacin; J. C.

Prenatal Caffeine Exposure Is Linked to Elevated Sugar Intake and BMI, Altered Reward Sensitivity, and Aberrant Insular Thickness in Adolescents: An ABCD Investigation

“…One mechanistic hypothesis for elevated TSI and lower PFC activation on large reward anticipation in children with daily PCE (vs. no exposure) could be a negative impact of maternal caffeine on inhibitory control [ 44 ], which elevates their drive to consume obesogenic foods. Individual differences in sensitivity to rewards are stated as an important predictor of reactivity to one’s food environment [ 45 ].…”