FETAL NEUROCHEMICAL EFFECTS OF COCAINE

药物滥用已成为一个主要的健康问题。这是特别 在孕妇人群中，摄入的物质可能 对胎儿的生长和发育有不利影响， 术语神经行为功能。可卡因及其衍生物已成为 在育龄妇女中非法摄入毒品最为普遍。 虽然可卡因的药理学是众所周知的，但大多数研究都是 基于成年动物模型的研究。可卡因对人体的影响 发育中的动物和人类可能与成人的影响大不相同。 胎儿和新生动物表现出较高的循环儿茶酚胺 浓度和更大的依赖循环水平比任何 另一个发展时期。我们将确定可卡因的效果 在未成熟和近足月胎羊中循环给药 儿茶酚胺水平和交感神经系统活动。我们将 确定重复的生理和药理学后果 胎儿可卡因给药我们假设胎盘代谢的 儿茶酚胺在维持低循环胎儿中是至关重要的 我们会确定可卡因是否会干扰 新陈代谢.我们将确定可卡因是否会增强 胎儿缺氧的生理影响。我们建议的研究， 描述胎儿暴露的生理学和药理学效应 可卡因将是重要的，在理解的病理生理学， 怀孕期间滥用药物。

Drugs of abuse have become a major health problem. This is particularly true in the population of pregnant women where ingested substances may have an adverse impact on growth and development of the fetus and long- term neurobehavioral function. Cocaine and its derivatives have become the most widespread illegally ingested drug among women of child bearing age. While the pharmacology of cocaine is well known most studies have been based on work in adult animal models. The effects of cocaine in the developing animal and human may be quite different from effects in adults. Fetal and newborn animals exhibit higher circulating catecholamine concentrations and greater dependence on circulating levels than at any other period of development. We will determine the effect of cocaine administration in immature and near-term fetal sheep on circulating catecholamine levels and sympathetic nervous system activity. We will determine the physiological and pharmacological consequences of repetitive fetal cocaine administration. We hypothesize that placental metabolism of catecholamines is critical in maintenance of low circulating fetal catecholamine levels and we will determine if cocaine interferes with that metabolism. We will determine if cocaine potentiates the adverse physiological effects of fetal hypoxia. Our proposed studies to characterize the physiologic and pharmacologic effects of fetal exposure to cocaine will be of importance in understanding the pathophysiology of drugs of abuse during pregnancy.