Visual evoked potentials in infants exposed to methadone in utero
- L McGlone1,
- H Mactier1,
- R Hamilton2,
- M S Bradnam2,
- R Boulton1,
- W Borland3,
- M Hepburn1,
- D L McCulloch4
- 1Princess Royal Maternity Hospital, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
- 2Royal Hospital for Sick Children, University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK
- 3Gartnavel General Hospital, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
- 4Vision Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland, UK
- Dr Helen Mactier, Neonatal Unit, Princess Royal Maternity Hospital, Glasgow, Scotland, UK; helen.mactier{at}northglasgow.scot.nhs.uk
- Accepted 13 February 2008
- Published Online First 27 February 2008
Abstract
We investigated the effects of maternal drug misuse on neonatal visual evoked potentials (VEPs). Flash VEPs were recorded within 4 days of birth from 21 term infants of mothers misusing drugs and prescribed substitute methadone and 20 controls. Waveforms were classified as typical, atypical, immature or non-detectable, and amplitude and latencies were measured. VEPs from drug-exposed infants were less likely to be of typical waveform and more likely to be immature or non-detectable (p<0.01) than those of control infants. They were also smaller in amplitude (median 10.8 vs 24.4 μV, p<0.001). VEPs of drug-exposed infants had matured after 1 week but remained of lower amplitude than VEPs of newborn controls (p<0.01) and were non-detectable in 15%. Flash VEPs differ between maternal drug-exposed and non-drug-exposed newborns. Future research should address the specific effects of maternal methadone and/or other illicit drug misuse on infant VEPs, and associations between neonatal VEPs and subsequent visual development.
Footnotes
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Competing interests: None.
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Ethics approval: Consent was obtained from Glasgow Royal Infirmary research ethics committee, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Scotland prior to study commencement (REC reference: 06/S0704/5).
