Citation

Smith LM, Lagasse LL, Derauf C, Newman E, Shah R, Haning W, Arria AM, Huestis MA, Strauss A, Della Grotta S, Dansereau LM, Lin H, Lester BM. Neurotoxicol. Teratol. 2011; 33(1): 176-184.

Affiliation

Los Angeles Biomedical Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.ntt.2010.10.004

PMID

21256431

PMCID

PMC3033584

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Methamphetamine (MA) use among pregnant women is an increasing problem in the United States. The impact of prenatal MA exposure on development in childhood is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of prenatal MA exposure on motor and cognitive development in children at 1, 2, and 3years of age. DESIGN/METHODS: IDEAL enrolled 412 mother-infant pairs at four sites (Tulsa OK, Des Moines IA, Los Angeles CA, and Honolulu HI). MA subjects (n=204) were identified by self report or GC/MS confirmation of amphetamine and metabolites in infant meconium. Comparison subjects (n=208) were matched (race, birth weight, maternal education, and type of insurance), denied amphetamine use, and had a negative meconium screen. Both groups included prenatal alcohol, tobacco and marijuana use, but excluded use of opiates, lysergic acid diethylamide, phencyclidine or cocaine only. The Peabody Developmental Motor Scales (PDMS-2) were administered to the infants at the 1 and 3year visits. This analysis includes a subsample (n=350) of the IDEAL study with completed 1 and/or 3year visits (n=330 and 281, respectively). At each annual visit we also conducted the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID-II) as a general evaluation of mental and motor development. The BSID-II analysis includes a subsample (n=356) of the IDEAL study with completed 1, 2, and/or 3year visits (n=331, 288, and 278 respectively). GLM analysis conducted on the PDMS-2 and BSID-II examined the effects of MA exposure and heavy MA exposure (≥3days of use/week), with and without covariates. Longitudinal analyses were used to examine the effects of MA exposure on changes in motor and cognitive performance over time. RESULTS: Heavy MA exposure was associated with significantly lower grasping scores than some and no use at 1year (P=0.018). In longitudinal analysis, lower grasping scores associated with any MA exposure and heavy exposure persisted to 3years. There were no effects of MA exposure, including heavy exposure, on the Bayley Mental Development Index (MDI) or Psychomotor Development Index (PDI) at any or across age. CONCLUSIONS: There were no differences in cognition as assessed by the BSID-II between the groups. There was a subtle MA exposure effect on fine motor performance at 1year with the poorest performance observed in the most heavily exposed children. By 3years, no differences in fine motor performance were observed. These findings suggest MA exposure has modest motor effects at 1year that are mostly resolved by 3years.

Language: en