COCAINE USE DURING PREGNANCY AFFECTS UNBORN BABY

NEW YORK - Babies whose mothers used cocaine during pregnancy may
suffer learning and attention problems during their early school
years, according to new research.

"This study provides further evidence of a subtle but consistent
effect on attention through early school-aged years," Veronica
Accornero, of the University of Miami, said in a statement.

Animal studies have shown that cocaine exposure before birth leads to
problems with attention. In some cases, the cocaine-associated
deficits were apparent even in adulthood.

In humans cocaine exposure has been linked to arousal and attention
problems among infants and toddlers. But few researchers have
examined whether such effects are long-lasting.

Accornero and her colleagues looked at attention and response
inhibition test results from 415 children involved in the long-term study.

About 219 children had been exposed to cocaine before birth. Ninety
six youngsters had not. All of the children completed at least one
test that measured vigilance and response inhibition.

When the children were five and seven years old they were given tests
to determine any attention problems.

Kids who had been exposed to cocaine in the womb had more errors at
ages 5 and seven during the tests, the researchers said in the
Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics.

The seven-year-old exposed children were also less consistent in
their responses than their peers, according to the researchers.

The findings suggest cocaine-related deficits in attention processing
"are generally persistent across the years bridging the preschool and
school-age period," according to the study's authors.

They added the clinical significance of the results is unclear.