Antipsychotic Use in Pregnancy Linked to Infant Neuromotor Deficits

A history of intrauterine antipsychotic exposure was associated with significantly lower scores on a standard test of neuromotor performance among 6-month-old infants, according to an August 6 online report in Archives of General Psychiatry. Infants prenatally exposed to antipsychotics showed significantly lower scores on the Infant Neurological International Battery (INFANIB)—a test of neuromotor skills—than those with antidepressant or no psychotropic exposure. However, the INFANIB scores were also significantly associated with maternal psychiatric history, suggesting the need for further research on the role of antipsychotics in pregnancy.

The Archives report is based on a prospective controlled study conducted from December 1999 through June 2008 at the Infant Development Laboratory of the Emory Psychological Center. Researchers examined 309 maternal-infant dyads at six months postpartum; mothers had taken either an antipsychotic or an antidepressant during pregnancy or had no exposure to psychotropic medications.
For more information about the use of antipsychotic medications during pregnancy, see Psychiatric News here. Also see the American Journal of Psychiatry for a study on use of lithium during pregnancy and postpartum in women with bipolar illness.

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