New Study Finds Brain Changes in Newborns Exposed to Antidepressants
http://www.madinamerica.com/2016/06/new-study-finds-brain-changes-in-newborns-exposed-to-antidepressants/#/more-78212
In attesa di traduzione dall'inglese - si cercano volontari!
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| BABA (BAby Brain Activity) is the first clinical research center in Finland dedicated to studying baby brain activity. (Photo Credit: BABA Research Center) |
A first of its kind neuroscience study, published this month in Cerebral Cortex,
found changes in the brain electrical activity of infants exposed to
SSRI antidepressants during pregnancy. The changes are associated with
less-organized communication between the brain’s hemispheres and are
comparable to the effects found in previous animal studies. The
researchers call for more critical evaluations of the prescription of
antidepressants during pregnancy and suggest that non-pharmacologic and
therapeutic alternatives should be the preferred treatment.
"If the mother using an SRI plans a pregnancy, it would be advisable
to consider a close follow-up or a therapeutic intervention without SRI
medication,” Outi Mantere, a psychiatrist associated with the study said
in a press release.
“Recent experience with group therapy has shown promise in treating
depression or anxiety during pregnancy, with effects that extend to the
wellbeing of both mother and baby."
SSRI
antidepressants are commonly prescribed for the treatment of depression
and anxiety, among other diagnoses. As the use of these drugs has
climbed precipitously in children and adults, so too has their use among
pregnant women. While current medical guidelines suggest psychotherapy
as a first-line treatment for pregnant women, it is currently estimated
that somewhere between 6% and 15% of all women are prescribed antidepressants during pregnancy.
The use of antidepressants in pregnancy has increasingly been linked
to a number of severe side effects, however. Several studies have
linked exposure to the drug in utero to an increased risk for preterm birth, low birth weight, infant convulsions, cardiovascular defects, excessive brain fluid at birth, smaller head size,
and other congenital defects. New research has also revealed evidence
linking prenatal antidepressant exposure to developmental issues,
including low Apgar scores, neonatal adaptation syndrome, risk of autism spectrum disorder, and cognitive developmental issues.
While the research has grown substantially on the potential risks,
less has been done in the field of experimental neuroscience to examine
the effects of the drugs on fetal brain development. The latest study,
from researchers associated with the BABA center at the University of
Helsinki’s Children's Hospital, features a groundbreaking new study
design aimed at separating the drug-related effects on the infant's
brain from environmental and relational developments that happen after
birth.
In a study of 84 mothers (22 on SSRIs and 62 controls), the
researchers conducted structured behavioral assessments of their
newborns and found only minor affects associated with the drugs. When
they carried out neurophysiological testing, however, the researchers
found lower levels of “global integration,” “interhemispheric
connectivity,” and “local cross frequency integration” in newborns
exposed to SSRIs in utero. These effects also appeared to outlast the
known period of immediate withdrawal common to such newborns.
The unique study design allowed the researchers to compare the
results of the analysis with maternal symptoms and other confounding
variables, strengthening the contention that “these changes are likely
due to medication or an interaction with medication and mood/anxiety
rather than maternal depression or anxiety per se.”
“This is the first study to show that prenatal SRI exposure in humans
can affect the newborn cortical function beyond the acute withdrawal
period,” the team concludes. “Our detailed quantitative, computational
EEG analyses indicated SRI-related effects in both focal and global
brain activity.”
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Mad In America has often served as a forum for discussing
research on the effects of antidepressants in pregnancy. As part of our
newly launched Sunshine Project, we recently released a comprehensive review of the research literature on antidepressant use in pregnancy, and Mad In America Continuing Education (MIACE) offers a course on the risks and possible harm to normal fetal development and the newborn child.
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Videman, M., Tokariev, A., Saikkonen, H., Stjerna, S., Heiskala, H.,
Mantere, O. and Vanhatalo, S., 2016. Newborn Brain Function Is Affected
by Fetal Exposure to Maternal Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. Cerebral Cortex, p.bhw153. (Abstract)
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