Prenatal exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and non-verbal cognitive functioning in childhood.
Selective serotonin reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) are frequently used during pregnancy. Evidence about the long-term consequences of prenatal SSRI exposure on child neurodevelopment is controversial. We prospectively investigated whether prenatal SSRI exposure was associated with childhood non-verbal cognition in a population-based study, and contrasted it to exposure to depressive symptoms (without SSRIs). We included 71 children prenatally exposed to SSRIs, 385 children prenatally exposed to maternal depressive symptoms and 5427 unexposed children. Child executive functioning was assessed by maternal report at 4 years ( n=4020). Non-verbal intelligence was measured at 5 years ( n=5001) and children were tested with a neuropsychological battery at 7 years ( n=1194). Prenatal SSRI exposure was not related to maternal reported executive function at 4 years, nor was it related with observed non-verbal intelligence at age 5 or neuropsychological function at 7 years. Exposure to untreated maternal depressive symptoms was related to maternal reported shifting problems and emotional control problems at 4 years. No associations between exposure to depressive symptoms and observed non-verbal IQ at 5 years or neuropsychological function at 7 years were found. This population-based study suggests that neither SSRI use nor untreated depressive symptoms during pregnancy had a major impact on child non-verbal cognition.
1 The Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus MC, Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.|2 The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Hanan
H
El Marroun
1 The Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus MC, Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.|3 The Department of Radiology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Tonya J
TJ
White
4 Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Guillen
G
Fernandez
2 The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.|5 The Department of Epidemiology Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.|6 The Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Vincent Wv
VW
Jaddoe
1 The Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus MC, Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Frank C
FC
Verhulst
5 The Department of Epidemiology Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.|7 Inspectorate of Healthcare, The Hague, the Netherlands.
Bruno H
BH
Stricker
1 The Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus MC, Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.|5 The Department of Epidemiology Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.|8 The Department of Psychiatry, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Henning
H
Tiemeier
D000328:Adult; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D003863:Depression / Q000188:drug therapy; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence / Q000187:drug effects*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000139:chemically induced; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000139:chemically induced*; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects*
D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors
Antidepressants; child psychiatry; depression; epidemiology; women