Prenatal Exposures

Section I: Introduction.- The importance of the prenatal central nervous system development.- Overview prenatal central nervous system development.- Section II: The demography of normal and abnormal childbirth.- Normal birth patterns.- Demographic characteristics resulting in fetal death: a model for fetal developmental risk.- Section III: Prematurity and low birth weight: The great mediator of developmental pathologies.- Prematurity and low birth weight: Defining the problem.- Prematurity and low birth weight: Learning and behavior outcomes.- Section IV: Maternal ingested toxins.- Maternal smoking.- Maternal alcohol use.- Maternal use of other recreational drugs.- Sections V: Maternal medical and psychological conditions.- Prenatal nutrition.- Maternal infection.- Maternal illness other than infection.- Maternal stress during pregnancy.- Other maternal characteristics.- Perinatal events: delivery complications.- Section VI: Environmental factors.- Environmental toxins: Air, water, and food pollutants.- Temperature, photoperiod, and other geophysical factors.- Section VII: Summary.- A model of prenatal perturbations to development.- Screening for prenatal perturbation in clinical work.- Appendix.