Prenatal Drug Exposure and Drug-Abusing Environments

Research Findings from February, 1999 Director's Report

This section lists selected summaries from NIDA funded research projects that investigate the consequences of prenatal drug exposure. The summaries provided were selected from recent issues of the Director's Report to the National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse. For a more comprehensive listing of NIDA funded projects see the Director's Report.

Role of Fetal Alcohol Exposure in Adult Substance Dependence: Adoption Design

This study used data from a previous adoption study to examine differences in substance use disorder outcomes between adoptees with fetal alcohol exposure and those without. Historical records were used to define fetal alcohol exposure. Results demonstrated that adoptees exposed to alcohol in utero reported higher symptom counts for alcohol, drug and nicotine dependence, and that these relationships held even when several confounding genetic and environmental variables were controlled for. Data was not available to assess the confounding roles of nicotine exposure or other prenatal variables, which may play a role in this relationship. Nonetheless, this study highlights the potential important role of in utero alcohol exposure in the development of later substance abuse and dependence. Yates, W.R., Cadoret, R.J., Troughton, E.P., Stewart, M., Guinta, T.S. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 22(4), pp. 914-920, 1998.