Cocaine during pregnancy can lead to cognitive impairments in kids like attention insufficiency, learning disabilities and emotional problems. Research on rabbits postulated that prenatal cocaine exposure leads to a long lasting displacement of dopamine receptors in certain brain cells, which changes their ability to function normally. Doctors have also put forward that cocaine if taken with other drugs cause premature labour, preterm birth and low birth weight. In addition, if less dose of cocaine is taken during pregnancy then baby seems to be normal at birth but tend to develop cognitive impairment with growing age. Prior to this, scholars had discovered that exposure to low levels of intravenous cocaine during a very short span of time during gestation causes certain changes in brain circuits that use the neurotransmitter dopamine that is involved in regulating the formation of cortical circuitry.
