Common Antidepressants in Pregnancy May Alter Fetal Brain Development

Pregnant women who take certain antidepressants may unknowingly compromise the brain development of their child, lead researcher suggests. The concern is based on a new analysis of brain scans involving nearly 100 newborns, some of whom were born to mothers who took selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) while pregnant. The scans indicated that SSRI exposure in the womb was associated with an increase in the size of gray matter found in two parts of the brain: the amygdala and the insula. Maternal SSRI use was also linked to an increase in white matter connections between the two regions Animal research has linked such increases to a higher risk for developing anxiety and depression, explained by lead researcher. Gray matter facilitates most of the brain's signaling and is central to sensory perceptions, while white matter is largely nerve fiber bundles that enable communication between brain regions. The specific brain regions in question are critical to the processing of emotions. All the mothers in the study were between the ages of 18 and 45 while pregnant between 2011 and 2016. Nearly a third were white, a quarter Hispanic, and a quarter black. Most of the mothers had been examined for depression before, during and after pregnancy, and those prescribed an SSRI during their pregnancy were assigned to the, SSRI group. All of the newborns had brain scans at an average age of just 1.5 weeks. The scans revealed that babies in the SSRI group had significant increases in the size of amygdala and insula gray matter, compared with those born to mothers who had been diagnosed with depression but not given an SSRI and those born to moms without depression. SSRI group infants also had a significant increase in white matter connections between those two regions, relative to the other groups. The lad researcher noted that while maternal depression (with or without SSRI treatment) was accounted for, the study did not examine other critical factors that could affect fetal development, including a family history of depression.

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                        Just One Concussion Could Raise Parkinson's Risk

If you've ever had a mild concussion, your risk of developing Parkinson's disease goes up by 56 percent, a new study of more than 300,000 U.S. veterans suggests. Upwards of 40 percent of adults have had a traumatic brain injury, so these findings are definitely concerning, said by lead researcher. Findings don't mean everyone who has ever had a concussion is doomed to develop the degenerative neurological disorder that affects coordination of movement. Top researcher pointed out the lifetime risk of Parkinson's is probably about 1 to 2 percent, so a greater than 50 percent increase in that risk isn't as alarming as it sounds. But these findings do lend credence to the idea that some professional athletes have developed Parkinson's disease as a result of their athletic careers. The most famous is probably boxer Muhammad Ali. Previous research has linked TBI and Parkinson's disease, but the new study's design and large size makes it among the most definitive. The lead researcher said it's possible that traumatic brain injuries could cause abnormal proteins to accumulate in the brain. It's also possible that a brain injury might make the brain less resilient to aging. Head injury might cause damage to dopamine-producing cells. The new study identified more than 325,000 veterans from three U.S. Veterans Health Administration databases. Half of this group had experienced a traumatic brain injury at some point in their lives. The TBIs were mild, moderate or severe. The other half of participants had never had a TBI. Some of their injuries were due to combat, but some were from falls or motor vehicle accidents. Study volunteers were aged 31 to 65, and were followed for up to 12 years. None of the vets had a diagnosis of Parkinson's when the study began. During the study, almost 1,500 were diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Of those, 949 had previously had a traumatic brain injury. The overall risk of developing Parkinson's in this group was slightly more than a half of 1 percent for those with a traumatic brain injury. For those without brain injuries, the risk of Parkinson's was just under one-third of 1 percent. When the researchers compared those who had brain injuries to those who didn't, and controlled the data for other risk factors -- such as age, sex, race, education and other health conditions -- the overall risk of Parkinson's disease was 71 percent higher for people who had any type of TBI. The risk for those with a mild TBI was 56 percent higher, and for those with moderate to severe TBIs, the risk was 83 percent greater.

SOURCE:  HealthDay News, April 2018

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                               Some Blood Pressure Meds Tied to Pancreatic Cancer Risk in Women

Certain drugs prescribed to treat high blood pressure may boost a woman's risk for developing pancreatic cancer after menopause. In a large study of postmenopausal women, those who had ever taken a short-acting calcium channel blocker (CCB) saw their pancreatic cancer risk shoot up by 66 percent. And women who had used a short-acting CCB for three years or more faced more than double the risk for pancreatic cancer, compared with those who had taken other types of blood pressure drugs. This class of drugs includes short-acting nifedipine, nicardipine and diltiazem. The short-acting CCBs were the only blood pressure drugs linked to higher pancreatic cancer risk, according to lead researcher. However, people taking this class of drugs shouldn't panic, because their absolute risk of developing pancreatic cancer still remains very low. According to the U.S. National Cancer Institute, just 1.6 percent of Americans will develop the cancer during their lifetime. That means that even after accounting for a bump up in risk from taking a CCB an individual's odds for the disease remains minimal. Still, the new finding was unexpected. Prior investigations had hinted that CCBs might even protect against pancreatic cancer by boosting levels of a protein (sRAGE) known to keep inflammation in check. Reduced inflammation is typically associated with a lower risk for a range of cancers. The lead researcher noted that short-acting CCBs are the least effective blood pressure drug available. That could mean many of the women in the study had not achieved good blood pressure control to begin with, which could have boosted their risk for diabetes. And diabetes is a known risk factor for pancreatic cancer. Blood samples taken from more than half the pancreatic cancer patients revealed that those who had ever taken a short-acting CCB also had notably lower levels of the sRAGE protein, compared with women who had taken other types of blood pressure drugs. That would mean less inflammation control and, therefore, potentially higher cancer risk. Finally, he hypothesized that women who are prescribed short-acting CCBs might differ in some way from patients prescribed other types of blood pressure control. CCBs tamp down blood pressure by preventing calcium from entering cells in the heart and blood vessel walls, thereby decreasing cardiac stress and workload.

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                                                         Busting Myths Surrounding Cancer and Genetic Testing

While only 5 percent to 10 percent of cancers are caused by an inherited gene mutation, genetic testing may benefit people with a strong history of family cancer, the lead researcher suggests. This is especially true in families with a history of breast, ovarian, prostate or pancreatic cancers, as well as colon and uterine cancers. Lead researcher said there are many myths about inherited cancers and genetic testing. The first misconception is that a negative test for a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation means a person does not have hereditary cancer syndrome. In the general population, about one person in 500 has a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation. While these mutations are the most common cause of hereditary breast or ovarian cancer, a negative genetic test does not mean there is no hereditary cancer risk, the lead researcher explained. There are a number of other genes that are associated with hereditary cancer syndromes. Another myth is that having an inherited genetic mutation guarantees a person will develop cancer. While most hereditary cancer syndromes have moderate-to-high risk levels, the risk can be reduced with guided management. Signs of hereditary cancer syndrome include cancers found before age 50 the same type of cancer in three or more members on the same side of the family and one or more family members with multiple cancers. People with rare cancers like medullary thyroid cancer and male breast cancer, or a history of more than 10 colon polyps, may also have hereditary cancer syndrome. Some people think a woman can't get a genetic mutation from her father. Nearly all hereditary cancer syndrome mutations can be passed down by either mother or father. But inherited mutations in these genes increase female carriers' risk of breast and ovarian cancers. Another misconception believes that if you've already had cancer, there's no need to find out whether you have an inherited gene mutation. People with such mutations are at increased risk for multiple cancers over a lifetime, so it's important to know about these mutations.

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