View clinical trials related to Fetal Exposure During Pregnancy.
Filter by:Cannabis is the most commonly used drug by women during pregnancy with an estimated prevalence of use in Colorado of 5.7%. THC and its metabolites freely cross the placenta and blood-brain barrier to bind with cannabinoid receptors, disrupting the endogenous cannabinoid signaling system during a critical period of development of cortical circuitry structure and function. The density of cannabinoid receptors in the developing brain is high, especially in the limbic areas and prefrontal lobes. Research in animal models suggests synaptic plasticity in the prefrontal lobes as well the amygdala and hippocampus are impacted by the prenatal cannabis exposure; regions associated with both cognitive and emotional control, thus influencing long-term deficiencies in attention and impulsivity. This pilot study will collect preliminary data on the structural impact of in utero cannabis exposure on region-specific morphology and structural connectivity of white matter tracts that connect to the prefrontal lobes and the limbic regions shortly after birth, before confounding by the postnatal environment becomes a major influence.
Objective: This randomized and controlled trial was aimed at exploring the effect of a new mentalization-focused 4D interactive ultrasound and a week-by-week pregnancy diary intervention with substance-abusing pregnant women. Method: Pregnant women referred to the hospital maternity outpatient clinic from primary health care due to substance abuse were recruited to participate in a randomized and controlled study. At admission, a psychiatric nurse offered all eligible women an opportunity for participation. A written informed consent was obtained from all participants included in the study. The participants were randomized into the intervention and control groups using a computer-generated block-randomization with block size of four. A separate randomization assignment was used for women in medication-assisted treatment for opioid dependence. The intervention group subjects were offered three mentalization-focused interactive 4D ultrasounds at 24, 30 and 34 gestational weeks and a mentalization-focused week-by-week pregnancy diary combined with three antenatal sessions and an option for one diary session after delivery. The control group received active treatment as usual in an obstetric tertiary setting. The pregnant woman and the child were followed-up until the child was one year old. The primary outcome was prenatal maternal depressive symptoms post-intervention, and secondary outcomes were anxiety symptoms, prenatal parental mentalization, maternal-fetal attachment and substance abuse. Other outcomes were utilisation of prenatal care, perinatal outcome, neonatal withdrawal symptoms and neonatal neurobehavior, postnatal maternal depressive and anxiety symptoms, parental mentalization, experienced stress from parenting and experienced social support, and emotional connection and commitment with the baby. The study was conducted at the hospital maternity outpatient clinic for substance-abusing pregnant women at Turku University Hospital (Finland) between October 2011 and December 2015. The registration of the trial is made retrospectively, but the research plan and outcomes are reported in this registration as they were originally documented in the research plan approved by The Joint Ethics Committee of the University of Turku and the Hospital District of Southwest Finland on 14th of June 2011.