Smoking Marijuana During Pregnancy

Heavy prenatal marijuana exposure was associated with lower intelligence scores at age 6 years.

Prenatal marijuana exposure targets cannabinoid receptors in the brain, disrupting central nervous system cellular migration, differentiation, and synapse communication. In rodents, exposure to marijuana during gestation impairs fetal brain development, leading to adverse effects on behavior and cognition. However, results from studies in humans have been inconsistent.

To determine the effect of prenatal marijuana exposure on children’s intellectual development at age 6 years, researchers interviewed 648 low-income pregnant women from a single prenatal clinic at 4 and 7 months of pregnancy and at delivery and assessed their children’s intellectual development at age 6 years with the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (SBIS). The researchers w…

Reviewing Author

Martin T. Stein, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory boardPearson Neuroscience Advisory Board

Speaker’s bureauAmerican Academy of Pediatrics

RoyaltiesElsevier, Inc.

Editorial boardsJournal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics

Martin T. Stein, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory boardPearson Neuroscience Advisory Board

Speaker’s bureauAmerican Academy of Pediatrics

RoyaltiesElsevier, Inc.

Editorial boardsJournal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics