Negative impact of maternal smoking ‘continues after child’s birth’

The damage caused to a child's development by their mother's smoking habits during pregnancy can persist beyond birth, according to new research.

Conducted by Yale University, the study examined mice and offered evidence that early exposure to nicotine can trigger widespread genetic changes that affect the formation of connections between brain cells long after birth.

It was indicated that nicotine causes this effect by altering a master regulator of DNA packaging, which in turn influences activity of genes crucial to the formation and stabilisation of synapses between brain cells.

This helps to explain why maternal smoking in humans has been linked to behavioural changes in their offspring, such as attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, addiction and conduct disorder.

Marina Picciotto, professor at the Child Study Center and the Departments of Neuroscience and Pharmacology at Yale University, said: "It is exciting to find a signal that could explain the long-lasting effects of nicotine on brain cell structure and behaviour."

It is also known that smoking during pregnancy can increase the risk of premature delivery, miscarriage, stillbirth or sudden infant death.