Cited by 65Prenatal Substance Exposure EffectsFetal and Pediatric Neurological DisordersSubstance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes

Prenatal cocaine effects on brain structure in early infancy

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Grewen, Karen, Burchinal, Margaret, Vachet, Clement, Gouttard, Sylvain, Gilmore, John H., Lin, Weili, Johns, Josephine, Elam, Mala +1 more·2014·NeuroImage

Abstract

Prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE) is related to subtle deficits in cognitive and behavioral function in infancy, childhood and adolescence. Very little is known about the effects of in utero PCE on early brain development that may contribute to these impairments. The purpose of this study was to examine brain structural differences in infants with and without PCE. We conducted MRI scans of newborns (mean age = 5 weeks) to determine cocaine's impact on early brain structural development. Subjects were three groups of infants: 33 with PCE co-morbid with other drugs, 46 drug-free controls and 40 with prenatal exposure to other drugs (nicotine, alcohol, marijuana, opiates, SSRIs) but without cocaine. Infants with PCE exhibited lesser total gray matter (GM) volume and greater total cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) volume compared with controls and infants with non-cocaine drug exposure. Analysis of regional volumes revealed that whole brain GM differences were driven primarily by lesser GM in prefrontal and frontal brain regions in infants with PCE, while more posterior regions (parietal, occipital) did not differ across groups. Greater CSF volumes in PCE infants were present in prefrontal, frontal and parietal but not occipital regions. Greatest differences (GM reduction, CSF enlargement) in PCE infants were observed in dorsal prefrontal cortex. Results suggest that PCE is associated with structural deficits in neonatal cortical gray matter, specifically in prefrontal and frontal regions involved in executive function and inhibitory control. Longitudinal study is required to determine whether these early differences persist and contribute to deficits in cognitive functions and enhanced risk for drug abuse seen at school age and in later life.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.06.070

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  • Similar structural and behavioral defects of the PFC can be observed in kids with prenatal exposure to opioids, cocaine, amphetamines and other drugs-of-abuse.

    “Similar structural and behavioral defects of the PFC can be observed in kids with prenatal exposure to opioids, cocaine, amphetamines and other drugs-of-abuse [322–330].”

    From Development of prefrontal cortex (2022) · cites this paper as [328]

    The Conclusion reports smaller prefrontal and frontal gray-matter volumes in neonates prenatally exposed to cocaine. The Introduction summarizes behavioral differences in cocaine-exposed children, but the paper does not establish that those behaviors are PFC defects, and it does not establish the same structural and behavioral pattern for prenatal exposure to opioids or amphetamines. Page numbers are not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.85)

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Authors
Grewen, K., Burchinal, M., Vachet, C., Gouttard, S., Gilmore, J. H., Lin, W., Johns, J., Elam, M., & Gerig, G.
Affiliations
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
  • University of Utah (US)
Corresponding author
Grewen, Karen
Venue
NeuroImage
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2014-11
Volume
101
Pages
114-123
ISSN
1053-8119 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2001926663
Cited by
65
References
99
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 2
FWCI
7.83
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • NeuroImage (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Carolina Digital Repository (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) (submittedVersion)
  • UNC Libraries
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (1P01DA022446-01A1, K01DA019949-01A1, R01MH070890, MH064065, U54EB005149)
  • Utah Science and Technology Initiative, University of Utah
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Prenatal Substance Exposure Effects
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Fetal and Pediatric Neurological Disorders
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
Keywords
prenatal cocaine exposure, infant brain development, gray matter volume, prefrontal cortex, frontal cortex, drug-exposed infants, executive function, inhibitory control, substance abuse risk
MeSH terms
Alcohol Drinking, Brain, Cannabis, Cerebrospinal Fluid, Cocaine, Female, Frontal Lobe, Humans, Infant, Newborn, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Narcotics, Pregnancy, Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects, Smoking, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors, Gray Matter

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