Developmental and behavioral consequences of prenatal methamphetamine exposure: A review of the Infant Development, Environment, and Lifestyle (IDEAL) study

Abstract

This study reviews the findings from the Infant Development, Environment, and Lifestyle Study (IDEAL), a multisite, longitudinal, prospective study designed to determine maternal outcome and child growth and developmental findings following prenatal methamphetamine exposure from birth up to age 7.5 years. These findings are presented in the context of the home environment and caregiver characteristics to determine how the drug and the environment interact to affect the outcome of these children. No neonatal abstinence syndrome requiring pharmacologic intervention was observed but heavy drug exposure was associated with increased stress responses in the neonatal period. Poorer inhibitory control was also observed in heavy methamphetamine exposed children placing them at high risk for impaired executive function. Independent of methamphetamine exposure, children with more responsive home environments to developmental and emotional needs demonstrated lower risks for internalizing and externalizing behavior.

Sex-Specific Alterations of White Matter Developmental Trajectories in Infants With Prenatal Exposure to Methamphetamine and Tobacco

“…The normal physical examination and normal-appearing brain magnetic resonance imaging are consistent with results from the multicenter Infant Development, Environment, and Lifestyle (IDEAL) study, which found no increased incidence of congenital abnormalities 54 or abnormal head sonograms 55 in infants with prenatal methamphetamine exposure. However, on neurologic evaluation, our methamphetamine/tobacco group had delayed development on active muscle tone and total ATNAT scores, although these scores appeared to normalize at 3 to 4 months of age.…”

Motor delays in MDMA (ecstasy) exposed infants persist to 2years

“…Although there are no comparable human studies of MDMA exposure, after prenatal exposure to methamphetamine, a similar amphetamine type drug, Smith et al (Smith LM et al, 2015) found that methamphetamine-exposed infants demonstrated motor deficits relative to comparison infants. Specifically, they identified poorer quality of movement in the neonatal period, and decreased grasping skill with heavier exposure at 1 and 3 years (Smith LM et al, 2015).…”

“…Specifically, they identified poorer quality of movement in the neonatal period, and decreased grasping skill with heavier exposure at 1 and 3 years (Smith LM et al, 2015). …”

Effects of Neonatal Methamphetamine and Stress on Brain Monoamines and Corticosterone in Preweanling Rats

“…MA is a potent psychostimulant that blocks DA reuptake (Sulzer et al 2005). Children exposed to intrauterine MA show changes in cellular metabolism in the striatum and frontal lobe (Smith et al 2001; Chang et al 2009) and significant volume reductions in the putamen, caudate nucleus, globus pallidus, and hippocampus (Derauf et al 2009; Smith et al 2015) that correlate with attention, verbal memory, and reaction time deficits (Chang et al 2004). Nearly half (42 %) of women who reported MA use during pregnancy continued using during the third trimester (Della Grotta et al 2010).…”