TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2016//
TI  - Prenatal cocaine exposure and its impact on cognitive functions of offspring: a pathophysiological insight
JO  - Reviews in the neurosciences
A1  - Gkioka, Eleana
A1  - Korou, Laskarina Maria
A1  - Daskalopoulou, Afrodite
A1  - Misitzi, Angelica
A1  - Batsidis, Eleni
A1  - Bakoyiannis, Ioannis
A1  - Pergialiotis, Vasilios
SP  - 523
EP  - 534
VL  - 27
IS  - 5
N2  - It is estimated that approximately 0.5%-3% of fetuses are prenatally exposed to cocaine (COC). The neurodevelopmental implications of this exposure are numerous and include motor skill impairments, alterations of social function, predisposition to anxiety, and memory function and attention deficits; these implications are commonly observed in experimental studies and ultimately affect both learning and IQ. According to previous studies, the clinical manifestations of prenatal COC exposure seem to persist at least until adolescence. The pathophysiological cellular processes that underlie these impairments include dysfunctional myelination, disrupted dendritic architecture, and synaptic alterations. On a molecular level, various neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, catecholamines, and γ-aminobutyric acid seem to participate in this process. Finally, prenatal COC abuse has been also associated with functional changes in the hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis that mediate neuroendocrine responses. The purpose of this review is to summarize the neurodevelopmental consequences of prenatal COC abuse, to describe the pathophysiological pathways that underlie these consequences, and to provide implications for future research in the field.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0334-1763
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/revneuro-2015-0064
ID  - ref1
ER  -