Fetal Effects of Psychoactive Drugs

Psychoactive drug use by pregnant women has the potential to effect fetal development; the effects are often thought to be drug-specific and gestational age dependent. This article describes the effects of three drugs with similar molecular targets that involve monoaminergic transmitter systems: cocaine, methamphetamine, and selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) used to treat maternal depression during pregnancy. We propose a possible common epigenetic mechanism for their potential effects on the developing child. We suggest that exposure to these substances acts as a stressor that affects fetal programming, disrupts fetal placental monoamine transporter expression and alters neuroendocrine and neurotransmitter system development. We also discuss neurobehavioral techniques that may be useful in the early detection of the effects of in utero drug exposure.