title: Perinatal oxytocin increases the risk of offspring bipolar disorder and childhood cognitive impairment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We tested the hypothesis that perinatal oxytocin, given to pregnant women to induce labor, is related to offspring bipolar disorder (BP) and worse childhood cognitive performance among offspring. We also tested the association between childhood cognition and later BP.
  
  
  METHODS
  A population-based birth cohort derived from the Child Health and Development Study (CHDS) which included nearly all pregnant women receiving obstetric care from the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Plan, Northern California Region (KPNC) between 1959 and 1966. Prospectively obtained medical and offspring cognitive performance were used. Potential cases with BP from the cohort were identified by database linkages. This protocol identified 94 cases who were matched 1:8 to controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Perinatal oxytocin was associated with a 2.4 times increased odds of later BP. Oxytocin was also associated with decreased performance on the Raven Matrices, but not on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT). Childhood cognition was not associated with later BP.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Loss to follow-up must be considered in all birth cohort studies. In addition, the childhood cognitive battery did not include tests related to multiple domains of cognition which have been associated with later BP. A third limitation is the modest sample size of those exposed to oxytocin.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides evidence for a potentially important perinatal risk factor for BP and cognitive impairment in childhood. While the association between perinatal oxytocin and offspring BP must be viewed cautiously until further studies can attempt to replicate the result, it lends support to the broader view that neurodevelopmental factors contribute to BP.
authors.affiliation: CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance, 10 East 34th Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10016, United States. Electronic address: david.freedman@islg.cuny.edu.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Freedman
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, United States; Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, United States.
authors.forename: Alan S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: KPNC Permanente Division of Research, Oakland, CA, United States.
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: KPNC Permanente Division of Research, Oakland, CA, United States.
authors.forename: Catherine A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Schaefer
mesh_terms: D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000328:Adult; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D010120:Oxytocics / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000523:psychology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D010120:Oxytocics; D010121:Oxytocin
keywords: Birth cohort; Neurodevelopment; Oxytocin; PPVT; Perinatal; Raven Matrices