New research has found that caffeine consumed during pregnancy can change important brain pathways that can lead to behavioral problems later in life. Researchers at the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) analyzed thousands of brain images of children aged nine and ten and revealed changes in brain structure in children who were exposed to caffeine in the womb.
“These are small effects and are not causing horrible psychiatric conditions, but they are causing minimal but noticeable behavioral problems, which should lead us to consider the long-term effects of caffeine intake during pregnancy,” said John Foxe, Ph.D ., director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience and principal investigator for the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development or ABCD Study at the University of Rochester. “I suppose the result of this study will be a recommendation that any caffeine during pregnancy is probably not such a good idea.”
Elevated behavioral problems, attention difficulties and hyperactivity are all symptoms that the researchers observed in these children. “What makes this unique is that we have a biological pathway that looks different when you consume caffeine during pregnancy,” said Zachary Christensen, an MD / Ph.D. candidate in the Medical Sciences Training Program and the first author of the article published in magazine Neuropharmacology. “Previous studies have shown that children perform differently on IQ tests or have different psychopathology, but this can also be related to demographics, so it’s difficult to analyze this until you have something like a biomarker. This gives us a starting point for research. to try to know exactly when the change is taking place in the brain. “
The researchers analyzed brain images of more than 9,000 nine- and ten-year-old participants in the ABCD study. They found clear changes in the way that white matter trails – which form connections between brain regions – were organized in children whose mothers reported that they consumed caffeine during pregnancy.
URMC is one of 21 sites across the country that collect data for the ABCD study, the largest long-term study of brain development and child health. The study is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Ed Freedman, Ph.D., is the principal investigator for the ABCD study in Rochester and co-author of the study.
“It is important to note that this is a retrospective study,” said Foxe. “We rely on mothers to remember how much caffeine they took during pregnancy.”
Previous studies have found that caffeine can have a negative effect on pregnancy. It is also known that the fetus lacks the enzyme needed to break down caffeine when it crosses the placenta. This new study reveals that caffeine can also have a lasting impact on neurodevelopment.
The researchers point out that it is not clear whether the impact of caffeine on the fetal brain varies from one trimester to the next, or when these structural changes occur during pregnancy.
“Current clinical guidelines already suggest limiting caffeine intake during pregnancy – no more than two normal cups of coffee a day,” said Christensen. “In the long run, we hope to develop better guidance for mothers, but in the meantime, they should see the doctor when there is concern.”
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