title: Adverse effects of heavy prenatal maternal smoking on attentional control in children with ADHD.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Exposure to heavy maternal cigarette smoking in pregnancy and severe maternal psychosocial stress during pregnancy appear to be important risk factors for the development of ADHD. This study aimed to determine whether these perinatal risk factors were associated with neuropsychological deficits commonly seen in ADHD.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined the effect of these two risk factors on measures of attentional control, motor inhibition, visual-motor integration, and fine motor coordination in a group of 81 children with ADHD, aged from 8 to 18 years. The neuropsychological battery included the Connors' Continuous Performance Test (CPT), the Stroop Color-Word Interference Test, the Beery Visual-Motor Integration Test, and the Purdue Pegboard Test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Heavy maternal smoking during pregnancy was associated with slower reaction times (p < .002), and reaction time variability (p < .007) on the CPT.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests a persistent negative effect of heavy prenatal maternal smoking on attentional control in children with ADHD. Future studies should examine the neurobiological basis and determine the degree to which inherited genetic susceptibility factors contribute to this finding.
authors.affiliation: Child Study Center Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520-7920, USA. maria.motlagh@yale.edu
authors.forename: Maria G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Motlagh
authors.forename: Denis G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Sukhodolsky
authors.forename: Angeli
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Landeros-Weisenberger
authors.forename: Liliya
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Katsovich
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: Lawrence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Scahill
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: Bradley S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Peterson
authors.forename: Robert T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Schultz
authors.forename: James F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Leckman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001288:Attention; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000523:psychology*; D011930:Reaction Time; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*