Journal Club: Pregnancy outcome following maternal exposure to pregabalin may call for concern

Jutzeler, Catherine R.; Cragg, Jacquelyn J.; Warner, Freda M.; Archibald, Jessica; Thomas, Christine P.M.; Elliott, Stacy; Kramer, John L. K.

doi:10.1212/wnl.0000000000003458

Cited by 9 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 13 publications

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“…Off-label use has been investigated for restless leg syndrome and other psychiatric illnesses, such as cyclic mood disorders. Pregabalin has also been used recreationally [ 30 ]. A study assessed patients who received pregabalin, where they observed that most of them used it recreationally (63%), and among them, 60% were off-label use [ 31 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effects of Prenatal Exposure to Pregabalin on the Development of Ventral Midbrain Dopaminergic Neurons

Alsanie

Alhomrani

Gaber

et al. 2022

Cells

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Pregabalin is widely used as a treatment for multiple neurological disorders; however, it has been reported to have the potential for misuse. Due to a lack of safety studies in pregnancy, pregabalin is considered the last treatment option for various neurological diseases, such as neuropathic pain. Therefore, pregabalin abuse in pregnant women, even at therapeutic doses, may impair fetal development. We used primary mouse embryonic neurons to investigate whether exposure to pregabalin can impair the morphogenesis and differentiation of ventral midbrain neurons. This study focused on ventral midbrain dopaminergic neurons, as they are responsible for cognition, movement, and behavior. The results showed that pregabalin exposure during early brain development induced upregulation of the dopaminergic progenitor genes Lmx1a and Nurr1 and the mature dopaminergic gene Pitx3. Interestingly, pregabalin had different effects on the morphogenesis of non-dopaminergic ventral midbrain neurons. Importantly, our findings illustrated that a therapeutic dose of pregabalin (10 μM) did not affect the viability of neurons. However, it caused a decrease in ATP release in ventral midbrain neurons. We demonstrated that exposure to pregabalin during early brain development could interfere with the neurogenesis and morphogenesis of ventral midbrain dopaminergic neurons. These findings are crucial for clinical consideration of the use of pregabalin during pregnancy.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%