Abstract
Drug addiction is a chronic relapsing disorder that involves drug seeking and abuse despite the negative social and health consequences. While the potential effects of cocaine on child development have been extensively studied over the last 30 years, few researchers have focused on the effects of cocaine on maternal behavior, which includes offspring care and maternal aggression towards an unfamiliar individual. In humans, maternal cocaine use can lead to child neglect, abuse, and disrupt the mother-child bond. While it has been argued the developmental effects of maternal cocaine use on children were initially overstated, it is clear that disruptions of typical maternal behavior (i.e. postpartum depression, anxiety disorders) are detrimental to the physical and emotional health of offspring. Cocaine use in mothers is commonly associated with psychological disorders, including depression and anxiety, and it is postulated that many of the negative effects of maternal cocaine use on offspring are mediated through changes in maternal behavior. This review will summarize research on cocaine and maternal behavior in animal and human studies, discuss potential mechanisms, and suggest therapeutic strategies for treating cocaine-affected maternal behavior which may improve the physical and behavioral health of both mother and child. The primary objective is to stimulate future communication, cooperation, and collaboration between researchers who use animals and humans to study cocaine and maternal behavior.
Highlights
Drug addiction is a chronic relapsing disorder that involves drug seeking and abuse despite the negative social and health consequences
Dopamine depleting lesions of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) during pregnancy completely block maternal care, but treatment 8 weeks prior to parturition has no effect [38]. These results suggest that dopamine plays an active role in the development of maternal care during gestation, but other mechanisms may compensate for previously impaired dopamine activity in the VTA
The same treatments have been previously associated with decreases in maternal care and aggression on these days [51]. These results suggest that acute oxytocin during lactation has a stimulatory effects on maternal care, and an inhibitory effect on maternal aggression
Summary
Drug addiction is a chronic relapsing disorder that involves drug seeking and abuse despite the negative social and health consequences. There is a body of literature indicating that maternal-offspring interactions are affected by cocaine dependence in the mother, which is highlighted in the recent review of maternal cocaine addiction by Strathearn and Mayes [1]. This is especially interesting in light of the fact that maternal-infant attachment is so strong and the rewarding properties of offspring are dominant in the mother. Cocaine exposure that disrupts maternal care or aggression may have negative effects on offspring physical or behavioral health. This review will summarize research on cocaine and maternal behavior in animal and human studies, discuss potential mechanisms, and suggest therapeutic strategies for treating cocaine-affected maternal behavior which may improve the physical and behavioral health of both mother and child
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