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Prenatal Nicotine Exposure As A Teratogen In Neurological Pathways, Monica Grover
Prenatal Nicotine Exposure As A Teratogen In Neurological Pathways, Monica Grover
AUCTUS: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most heritable and commonly diagnosed childhood psychiatric disorder with 4% of all children being diagnosed with this disorder. Prenatal smoking has been found to be a risk factor for ADHD, a disorder that has been believed to be linked to the fluctuation of dopamine levels. Prenatal nicotine exposure in the second trimester influences dopaminergic neurological pathways by altering dopamine release levels. The altered dopamine levels make the fetus brain more sensitive to the nicotine, causing the nicotine exposure to be more dangerous in causing ADHD symptoms. Prenatal nicotine exposure alters the neurological pathway of the …