The Effects of Cocaine on the Developing Nervous System

Abstract

In utero drug exposure can lead to specific, targeted changes in brain structure and function through direct and indirect modification of developing neurotransmitter systems and intracellular messengers. This chapter describes aspects of cortical development that can be modulated by developing neurotransmitter systems, which, in turn can be affected by prenatal exposure to cocaine and other drugs of abuse. Also reviewed are data from animal models of gestational exposure to cocaine demonstrating permanent defects in the structure and function of limbic cortical areas known to play a role in the regulation of attention in drug-exposed offspring. We propose that similar changes in pattern formation likely underlie the complex cognitive and behavioral deficits that have been described in children exposed to cocaine and/or other drugs of abuse during prenatal development.