This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Scher, M. S.
Right arrow Articles by Day, N. L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Scher, M. S.
Right arrow Articles by Day, N. L.
Related Collections
Right arrow Office Practice

PEDIATRICS Vol. 105 No. 1 January 2000, pp. 39-48

Effects of Prenatal Cocaine/Crack and Other Drug Exposure on Electroencephalographic Sleep Studies at Birth and One Year

Received Jul 14, 1998; accepted Jun 4, 1999.

Mark S. Scher*, Gale A. RichardsonDagger , and Nancy L. DayDagger

From the * Division of Pediatric Neurology, Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital of University Hospitals of Cleveland, Cleveland, Ohio; and the Dagger  Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Objective.  Little is known about the neurophysiologic effects of prenatal cocaine/crack use. The aim of this study, designed to overcome methodologic limitations of previous research, was to investigate the effects of prenatal cocaine use on electroencephalographic (EEG) sleep patterns, a marker of central nervous system development.

Methods.  In a longitudinal study of prenatal cocaine/crack exposure, women were interviewed at the end of each trimester about cocaine, crack, alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and other drug use. Two-hour paper- and computer-generated EEG sleep recordings were obtained on a sample of the full-term infants on the second day of life and at 1 year postpartum. Eligible newborns were full-term, had received no general anesthesia, and had a 5-minute Apgar score >5. All infants whose mothers used one or more lines of cocaine during their first trimester or any crack (n = 37) were selected. A comparison group was chosen randomly from the group of women who did not use cocaine or crack during their pregnancy (n = 34).

Results.  Women who used cocaine/crack during the first trimester were older, less educated, less likely to be working, and used more tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and other illicit drugs than women who did not use cocaine/crack during the first trimester. There were no differences in infant birth weight, length, head circumference, or gestational age between the two exposure groups. After controlling for the significant covariates, prenatal cocaine exposure was associated with less well developed spectral correlations between homologous brain regions at birth, and with lower spectral EEG power values at 1 year of age. Prenatal alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco use were found to affect state regulation and cortical activities.

Conclusions.  These results indicate that the neurotoxic effects of prenatal cocaine/crack use can be detected with quantitative EEG measures.  Key words:  prenatal cocaine/crack use, neonatal EEG sleep, infant EEG sleep.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 PediatricsHome page
T. D. Warner, M. Behnke, F. D. Eyler, K. Padgett, C. Leonard, W. Hou, C. W. Garvan, I. M. Schmalfuss, and S. J. Blackband
Diffusion Tensor Imaging of Frontal White Matter and Executive Functioning in Cocaine-Exposed Children
Pediatrics, November 1, 2006; 118(5): 2014 - 2024.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Child NeurolHome page
D. A. Hall, R. P. Wadwa, N. A. Goldenberg, and J. M. Norris
Maternal Risk Factors for Term Neonatal Seizures: Population-Based Study in Colorado, 1989--2003
J Child Neurol, September 1, 2006; 21(9): 795 - 798.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
M. A. Tan-Laxa, C. Sison-Switala, W. Rintelman, and E. M. Ostrea Jr
Abnormal Auditory Brainstem Response Among Infants With Prenatal Cocaine Exposure
Pediatrics, February 1, 2004; 113(2): 357 - 360.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Cereb CortexHome page
G. D. Stanwood, R. A. Washington, and P. Levitt
Identification of a Sensitive Period of Prenatal Cocaine Exposure that Alters the Development of the Anterior Cingulate Cortex
Cereb Cortex, May 1, 2001; 11(5): 430 - 440.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther.Home page
M. Zhou, Z.-M. Song, and M. S. Lidow
Pharmacokinetics of Cocaine in Maternal and Fetal Rhesus Monkeys at Mid-Gestation
J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther., April 12, 2001; 297(2): 556 - 562.
[Abstract] [Full Text]

Home page
 JAMAHome page
D. A. Frank, M. Augustyn, W. G. Knight, T. Pell, and B. Zuckerman
Growth, Development, and Behavior in Early Childhood Following Prenatal Cocaine Exposure: A Systematic Review
JAMA, March 28, 2001; 285(12): 1613 - 1625.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]