Prenatal tobacco and alcohol exposure, white matter microstructure, and early language skills in toddlers from a South African birth cohort.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Tobacco and alcohol are the two most common substances used during pregnancy, and both can disrupt neurodevelopment, resulting in cognitive and behavioral deficits including language difficulties. Previous studies show that children with prenatal substance exposure exhibit microstructural alterations in major white matter pathways, though few studies have investigated the impact of prenatal substance exposure on white matter microstructure and language skills during the toddler years.

Methods

In this study, 93 children (34 exposed to alcohol and/or tobacco) aged 23 years from the Drakenstein Child Health Study, South Africa, completed Expressive and Receptive Communication assessments from the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (BSID-

SUBMITTER: Scholten C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11402807 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature