Motor and cognitive outcomes through three years of age in children exposed to prenatal methamphetamine.
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 3 years of age.


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 3 year visits. This analysis includes a subsample (n=350) of the IDEAL study with completed 1 and/or 3 year 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 3 year 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 (≥3 days 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 1 year (P=0.018). In longitudinal analysis, lower grasping scores associated with any MA exposure and heavy exposure persisted to 3 years. 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 1 year with the poorest performance observed in the most heavily exposed children. By 3 years, no differences in fine motor performance were observed. These findings suggest MA exposure has modest motor effects at 1 year that are mostly resolved by 3 years.
Los Angeles Biomedical Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA. smith@labiomed.org
Lynne M
LM
Smith
Linda L
LL
LaGasse
Chris
C
Derauf
Elana
E
Newman
Rizwan
R
Shah
William
W
Haning
Amelia
A
Arria
Marilyn
M
Huestis
Arthur
A
Strauss
Sheri
S
Della Grotta
Lynne M
LM
Dansereau
Hai
H
Lin
Barry M
BM
Lester
D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000187:drug effects / Q000523:psychology*; D002657:Child Development / Q000187:drug effects*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018730:Infant Behavior / Q000187:drug effects / Q000523:psychology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008694:Methamphetamine / Q000633:toxicity*; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D012923:Social Class; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D008694:Methamphetamine
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