Prenatal Cannabis Exposure May Impact Executive Function, Behavior at Age 5 Years

MONDAY, Oct. 28, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Children with prenatal cannabis exposure exhibit some differences in aspects of executive function and behavior, according to a study published online Oct. 28 in JAMA Pediatrics.

Sarah A. Keim, Ph.D., from The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children”s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and colleagues prospectively examined the association of prenatal cannabis exposure with executive function and aggressive behavior at age 5 years in a cohort study conducted from 2016 through 2020. A total of 355 participants were enrolled in a pregnancy research repository and were invited to participate again when the child was 5 years of age.

The researchers found that 80 of 250 children (32 percent) were exposed to cannabis. Use of tobacco, other drugs, and alcohol during pregnancy occurred in 22 to 39 percent of participants. Most of the included families were living in poverty. Following propensity score weighting and adjustment for confounders, age-corrected standard scores for children”s attention and inhibitory control were about 0.4 standard deviations lower for those exposed to cannabis versus those unexposed. Poorer task-based planning ability and more observed aggression was also exhibited by exposed children. No differences were seen by exposure status for caregiver ratings of executive function and behavior and laboratory assessments of other aspects of executive functioning.

“The present findings may inform counseling by clinicians to avoid cannabis use during pregnancy, particularly given its recent increase,” the authors write.

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