PRENATAL TOBACCO EFFECTS ON ATENTION: BEHAVIOR & BRAIN FUNCTION

描述（由申请人提供）：烟草在怀孕期间的使用频率高于其他任何物质，包括酒精、大麻和可卡因。此外，与其他滥用药物不同，产前使用烟草的妇女在得知怀孕后很少减少或放弃使用烟草。因此，由于对母亲及其后代的潜在负面健康后果，产前烟草接触是一个重大的公共卫生问题。此外，动物研究表明，产前烟草暴露（PTE）与中枢神经系统发育缺陷之间存在直接联系。更具体地说，对人类的研究已经确定，PTE会导致注意力缺陷，如注意力不集中、冲动增加，以及患注意力缺陷多动障碍（ADHD）的风险增加。由PTE引起的特定注意力缺陷的潜在行为和大脑机制尚未被描述。拟议研究的目的是表征烟草对注意力的行为和大脑功能测量的影响。我们将研究产前接触烟草如何影响注意力的不同方面，包括警觉、定向和注意力的执行控制，包括行为和通过探测支持这些功能的神经回路的完整性。为了做到这一点，我们将使用最先进的认知功能行为测量和fMRI神经成像技术。拟议研究的对象将从产妇保健实践和儿童发展项目（MHPCD）队列中选择年轻人，这是一项关于产前物质暴露对生长、行为和认知功能影响的纵向研究。定义了两个接触组：仅接触烟草（TOB）和不接触烟草（对照）。在某种程度上，拟议的研究项目可以识别认知和大脑功能的缺陷，拟议的工作路线可能为怀孕期间接触烟草的个体的识别、干预和康复提供关键信息。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Tobacco is used more frequently during pregnancy than any other substance, including alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine. In addition, unlike other drugs of abuse, women who use tobacco prenatally rarely decrease or abstain from use upon learning of their pregnancy. Thus, prenatal tobacco exposure is of major public health concern due to the potential negative health outcomes for both mothers and their offspring. Furthermore, animal studies have demonstrated a direct link between prenatal tobacco exposure (PTE) and deficits in central nervous system development. More specifically, studies in humans have established that PTE leads to attention deficits such as inattention, increased impulsivity, and an increased risk for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The underlying behavioral and brain mechanisms of the specific attention deficits that result from PTE have not been characterized. The purpose of the proposed study is to characterize the effects of tobacco on behavioral and brain function measures of attention. We will examine how prenatal exposure to tobacco affects different aspects of attention, including alerting, orienting, and executive control of attention, both behaviorally and by probing the integrity of the neuronal circuitry that supports these functions. To do this, we will use state-of-the art behavioral measures of cognitive function and fMRI neuroimaging techniques. Subjects for the proposed study will be young adults selected from the Maternal Health Practices and Child Development Project (MHPCD) cohort, a longitudinal study of the effects of prenatal substance exposure on growth, behavior, and cognitive function. Two exposure groups are defined: tobacco only (TOB), and no exposure to tobacco (Controls). To the extent that the proposed research program can identify deficits in cognitive and brain function, the proposed line of work can potentially provide crucial information for the identification, intervention, and rehabilitation of individuals exposed to tobacco during pregnancy.