Cognitive Development In Children Exposed To Antiepileptic Drugs In Utero

Abstract

Evaluation of: Meador KJ, Baker GA, Browning N et al.; NEAD Study Group. Effects of fetal antiepileptic drug exposure: outcomes at age 4.5 years. Neurology 78(16), 1207–1214 (2012). This study reports an interim analysis of cognitive outcomes of children aged 4.5 years who were exposed to different antiepileptic drugs in utero. Mothers with epilepsy on monotherapy treatment with carbamazepine, lamotrigine, phenytoin or valproate were enrolled in early pregnancy with the intention to follow the children with a primary assessment of cognitive development at 6 years of age. A better understanding of the possible adverse effects of maternal use of different antiepileptic drugs during pregnancy on the neurodevelopment of the offspring is of great importance with major implications for the management of women with epilepsy that are of childbearing potential and for the many women that take antiepileptic drugs for reasons other than epilepsy.

Keywords:

• anticonvulsants
• cognition
• neurodevelopment
• pregnancy
• teratogenicity
• valproate

Financial & competing interests disclosure

T Tomson has received research grants and/or speakers honoraria from Eisai, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen-Cilag Novartis, Sanofi-Aventis, Pfizer and UCB-Pharma. The author has no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.