Neurodevelopmental Abnormalities in Children Associated with Maternal Use of Psychoactive Medication

Abstract

Background: Due to its negative effects on the unborn child and the mother as a consumer, pregnant women's intake of psychoactive substances has become a public health concern. Additionally, consuming these chemicals has been linked to several neurological development changes in children, including behavioral issues (such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder), cognitive issues, and sensory and motor function changes. Objectives: To perform a thorough, comprehensive study of the neurodevelopmental problems in children linked to maternal drug use. Method: A search of the scientific literature on studies about neurodevelopmental abnormalities linked to maternal use of psychoactive medications during pregnancy and published in the previous ten years up to June 2022 was conducted from PubMed, Google Scholar, and Directory open access Journals. Results: The initial screening identified 380 articles. We excluded 50 unaccessible articles and 160 articles due to publication dates and study types; after that, 62 articles were also discarded because they were duplicates, and 68 were excluded because the information was irrelevant or systemic reviews, so we finally obtained 40 articles for full-text reading distributed as follows: 18 from PubMed, 12 from Directory Open Access Journal, and 10 from Google scholar