Cognitive outcomes in prenatal methamphetamine exposed children aged six to seven years

Methamphetamine use among pregnant women has become a significant problem. Research delineating the cognitive outcomes of prenatal methamphetamine exposure (PME) in early childhood is limited, however. The aim of this study was to examine effects of PME on cognition in six-to-seven-year-old children. PME children (n=23) and unexposed controls (n=22) completed a battery of neurocognitive tests, which included the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, Boston Naming Test, Beery Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration, and Grooved Pegboard Test. Independent samples t-tests revealed that PME children scored significantly worse than controls on the measures of IQ, learning and memory, confrontation naming, visual-motor integration, and fine motor coordination. Hierarchical regression analyses that included potential confounding sociodemographic, co-exposure and anthropometric variables confirmed that PME impacts negatively on cognitive performance. The study confirms that PME has deleterious effects on cognition in several broad cognitive domains, likely by altering underlying brain circuitry in development. These effects may be particularly pronounced at the time when children enter formal schooling. Extended follow-ups into late childhood might help elucidate the developmental trajectory of cognitive dysfunction in PME, and subsequent effects on everyday functioning.