Newer epilepsy drugs taken while pregnant won’t blunt a kid’s creativity Researchers found no difference in creativity between kids of epileptic moms and children of healthy mothers However, the drugs were linked to an impact on executive function THURSDAY, May 30, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Newer drugs taken while pregnant won’t affect the creative thinking of children, an effect that had been observed in older medications, a new study reports. Researchers found no difference in creativity scores at age 4 between kids of mothers with epilepsy and those of moms without the disorder, researchers reported May 29 in the journal . They also found no differences in creativity when comparing different levels of anti-seizure medications found in epileptic mothers’ blood samples during the third trimester.
However, they did find that higher concentrations of the drugs during the third trimester is linked to kids’ poorer performance on tests of executive function -- the skills like working memory, flexibility and inhibition control that help people manage everyday tasks. This link was mainly associated with exposure to the anti-seizure drug , researchers said. “Our findings highlight that even for epilepsy medications that are generally considered to be safe in pregnancy, dose adjustments should be made with a goal of reaching an optimal balance between controlling seizures and the minimizing negative effects on the developing child,” said researcher , a professor of neuro.
