Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Prenatal narcotic exposure: perinatal and developmental effects.

K A Kaltenbach1, L P Finnegan

  • 1Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Department of Pediatrics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Neurotoxicology
|January 1, 1989
PubMed
Summary

Prenatal narcotic exposure in infants can lead to neonatal abstinence and smaller birth sizes. While developmental outcomes are generally normal after abstinence, long-term effects require further research.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Prenatal drug exposure and maternal and infant feeding behaviour.

Archives of disease in childhood. Fetal and neonatal edition·2003
Same author

Central and autonomic system signs with in utero drug exposure.

Archives of disease in childhood. Fetal and neonatal edition·2002
Same author

Observations from the CDC. Community Prevention Study: contributions to women's health and prevention research.

Journal of women's health & gender-based medicine·2002
Same author

The Maternal Lifestyle Study: drug use by meconium toxicology and maternal self-report.

Pediatrics·2001
Same author

Biopsychosocial characteristics and treatment outcomes of pregnant cocaine-dependent women in residential and outpatient substance abuse treatment.

Journal of psychoactive drugs·1999
Same author

Assessing the needs of substance abusing women. Psychometric data on the psychosocial history.

Journal of substance abuse treatment·1999

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
  • Perinatal Neurodevelopment
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Infants exposed to narcotics in-utero may experience neonatal abstinence.
  • Prenatal methadone maintenance can reduce adverse perinatal outcomes.
  • Narcotic exposure is linked to smaller birth weights and head circumferences in infants.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To understand the effects of in-utero narcotic exposure on the developing central nervous system.
  • To evaluate the long-term developmental outcomes in infants exposed to narcotics prenatally.
  • To delineate the role of prenatal narcotic exposure within a broader context of risk factors.

Main Methods:

  • Observational study comparing infants with and without prenatal narcotic exposure.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Assessment of neonatal abstinence symptoms and treatment.
  • Evaluation of infant neurodevelopmental status and physical measurements.

    • Main Results:

    • Methadone-exposed infants had smaller birthweights and head circumferences.
    • Infants showed altered ventricular measurements in early life.
    • Strabismus incidence was higher, potentially linked to lower birth weight.
    • No apparent developmental sequelae were observed up to two years, though scores were sometimes lower than controls.

    Conclusions:

    • Prenatal narcotic exposure, even with methadone maintenance, is associated with specific physical and neurological findings in infants.
    • While short-term developmental outcomes appear within the normal range, the full impact on the central nervous system requires further investigation.
    • Confounding factors necessitate careful consideration when determining the etiology of observed perinatal and developmental effects.