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Teratogenicity

Teratogenicity

The ability of a drug to produce structural deformations and functional abnormalities in the developing embryo or the fetus is called teratogenicity, and the drug producing this effect is known as a teratogen. Teratogenic effects include stillbirth, miscarriage, intrauterine growth restriction, and neurocognitive delay. A teratogen may affect the embryo at different stages of development, which is important in determining the type and extent of the damage. During blastocyst formation, the early...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 17, 2025

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale

Published on: August 25, 2014

Prenatal Antidepressant Exposure and Offspring Brain Morphologic Trajectory.

Dogukan Koc^1,2, Henning Tiemeier^2,3, Bruno H Stricker⁴

¹Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Centre, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

JAMA Psychiatry

|August 30, 2023

Summary

Prenatal exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may be linked to reduced gray matter volume in children. This association, particularly in emotion-regulating brain areas, warrants further investigation into functional outcomes.

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Moderate Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Quantification of Social Behavior in Adult Rats

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Published on: December 14, 2014

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Developmental Psychology
Pharmacology

Background:

Clinical decisions regarding antidepressant use during pregnancy, especially SSRIs, are complex.
Both prenatal SSRI exposure and maternal depression can negatively impact offspring development.

Purpose of the Study:

To examine the relationship between intrauterine SSRI exposure, maternal depressive symptoms, and offspring brain development from mid-childhood to early puberty.
To analyze structural brain changes in children exposed to SSRIs or maternal depression during gestation.

Main Methods:

A prospective, population-based cohort study (Generation R Study) in the Netherlands.
Maternal SSRI use verified by pharmacy records; depressive symptoms assessed using the Brief Symptom Inventory.
Brain morphometry (volumes) assessed via MRI in offspring aged 7 to 15 years.

Main Results:

Prenatal SSRI exposure was associated with reduced cerebral gray matter volume, particularly in the corticolimbic circuit, persisting up to age 15.
Children exposed to SSRIs prenatally showed accelerated amygdala and fusiform gyrus volume increases during childhood, but these differences did not persist into early adolescence.
Prenatal depression linked to smaller rostral anterior cingulate gyrus volume; postnatal depression associated with reduced fusiform gyrus volume. SSRI use before pregnancy showed no brain outcome association.

Conclusions:

Prenatal SSRI exposure may alter developmental trajectories of brain regions crucial for emotional regulation in offspring.
Findings suggest potential neurodevelopmental impacts of SSRI exposure in utero.
Further research is needed to understand the functional consequences of these observed brain structural differences.