Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2010 Feb:1187:172-83.
doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.05142.x.

Cocaine addiction in mothers: potential effects on maternal care and infant development

Lane Strathearn  1 , Linda C Mayes
Affiliations
Review

Cocaine addiction in mothers: potential effects on maternal care and infant development

Lane Strathearn et al. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2010 Feb.

Abstract

Maternal cocaine addiction is a significant public health issue particularly affecting children, with high rates of reported abuse, neglect, and foster care placement. This review examines both preclinical and clinical evidence for how cocaine abuse may affect maternal care and infant development, exploring brain, behavioral, and neuroendocrine mechanisms. There is evidence that cocaine affects infant development both directly, via in utero exposure, and indirectly via alterations in maternal care. Two neural systems known to play an important role in both maternal care and cocaine addiction are the oxytocin and dopamine systems, mediating social and reward-related behaviors and stress reactivity. These same neural mechanisms may also be involved in the infant's development of vulnerability to addiction. Understanding the neuroendocrine pathways involved in maternal behavior and addiction may help facilitate earlier, more effective interventions to help substance-abusing mothers provide adequate care for their infant and perhaps prevent the intergenerational transmission of risk.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Proposed factors influencing maternal responses and infant development. DA, dopamine; OT, oxytocin.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. STRATHEARN L, LI J, FONAGY P, MONTAGUE PR. What’s in a Smile? Maternal Brain Responses to Infant Facial Cues. Pediatrics. 2008;122:40–51. - PMC - PubMed
    1. STRATHEARN L. Exploring the Neurobiology of Attachment. In: Mayes LC, Fonagy P, Target M, editors. Developmental Science and Psychoanalysis: Integration and Innovation. Karnac Press; London: 2006. pp. 117–130.
    1. MAYES L, FELDMAN R, GRANGER R, HAYNES O, BORNSTEIN MH, SCHOTTENFELD R. The effects of polydrug use with and without cocaine on mother-infant interaction at 3 and 6 months. Infant Behavior and Development. 1997;20:489–502.
    1. MAYES L, TRUMAN S. Substance abuse and parenting. Vol. 4. Social conditions and applied parenting. In: Bornstein M, editor. Handbook of parenting. Lawrence Erlbaum; Mahwah, NJ: 2002. pp. 329–359.
    1. PORTER LS, PORTER BO. A blended infant massage-parenting enhancement program for recovering substance-abusing mothers. Pediatr Nurs. 2004;30:363–72. 401. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms