Neurologic clinics
-
Ethanol abuse is associated with a variety of neurologic disturbances. These disturbances result from direct drug effects, drug withdrawal, nutritional deficiency, organ system failure, and other, unidentified factors. In contrast, abuse of sedative-hypnotic drugs produces a more limited spectrum of neurologic involvement, consisting primarily of overdose and withdrawal syndromes. Recent advances in pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment are beginning to influence the clinical approach to some of these disorders.
-
The adverse effects of fetal drug exposures are well documented. Evidence for FAS, impaired intrauterine growth, birth defects, and mental retardation related to alcohol is compelling; evidence for alcohol-induced adverse behaviors and impaired speech is tenuous. Teratogenic, cognitive, or behavioral effects associated with prenatal exposure to marijuana, cigarettes, cocaine, or opiates have not been well established. ⋯ Impaired fetal growth, especially of brain, may indirectly mediate drug effects on cognition. The abnormal neonatal neuro-behaviors described herein have no apparent impact on subsequent development. The development of opiate-exposed children, particularly those with withdrawal symptoms, however, appears to be more vulnerable to the adverse effects of an impoverished environment.