A recent study demonstrated the negative impact of maternal antiepileptic and antidepressant medication on the neurodevelopment of infants on in-utero exposure. In the study conducted at the University of Helsinki, new mathematical methods were developed to study the effect of drugs and other environmental conditions on a newborn’s brain.

The effect of medications taken for mood swings or epilepsy was visualized using electroencephalography (EEG) and electrical brain activity during sleep, and cortical networks were calculated using the advanced technique. The results demonstrated that exposure to medications leads to an extensive change in the cortical networks. In the case of antidepressants, the effect was more extensive. However, both drugs created changes in the sleep stages. Mia Videman, a specialist in pediatric neurology stated that stronger changes in neural networks predicted a greater deviation in development at two years of age. 

Professor Sampsa Vanhatalo summarized that the novel method used in the study provides a general analytical procedure to support extensive research on fetal brain development and the effects of intrauterine changes on it. She added that such studies can help in further research of maternal drug treatment, mother’s nutrition, overall physical conditions, and other environmental factors involved in the scenario. 

(Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/health/foetal-exposure-to-medicines-can-affect-brain-development-of-infants-study-101650685094488.html )