How Cocaine Impairs Fetal Brain Development

They found that a byproduct of cocaine metabolism inhibits the development of nerve cells by interfering with a specific protein, cyclin A, which regulates cell division. The researchers found that this interference occurred because cocaine metabolism caused oxidative stress within the endoplasmic reticulum, part of the cellular apparatus for producing proteins.

They also showed that treatment of pregnant rats with cimetidine, a drug used to reduce stomach acid secretion and interferes with the enzymes that metabolize cocaine, counteracted the inhibition of neural cell development caused by cocaine exposure in the rat fetuses. These results suggest the possibility that treatments to block the effect of cocaine on cyclin A may provide a way to protect fetal brain development when a pregnant woman is unable to stop using cocaine. Further research would be necessary to determine whether such an approach could be safe and effective in human pregnancies, the researchers say

In a related perspective on the implications of the research, Steven Hyman of Harvard University, who was not involved in the study, says the findings are exciting but also notes "the complexity of factors that might contribute to cognitive and emotional abnormalities in children exposed to cocaine and other dangerous drugs in utero."