Effect of Prenatal Exposure to Tobacco Smoke on Inhibitory Control

Abstract

About 22% of the European female population smokes,¹ with approximately half of the female smokers continuing to smoke during pregnancy.^2,3 Prenatal exposure to tobacco smoke is a well-established risk factor for adverse physical⁴ and mental outcomes in the offspring.^5,6 In particular, a growing body of literature indicates that smoking during pregnancy may increase the risk of externalizing psychopathology, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).^7-12 So far, however, there is controversy over whether this association is causal or mediated by genetic risk.^13,14 Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is characterized by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.¹⁵ Research on the neuropsychological underpinnings of ADHD has revealed that individuals with this disorder exhibit poorer performance on tasks involving inhibitory control.^16,17 Hypoactivity in inhibitory regions such as the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) has been suggested to present a possible neural correlate underlying the difficulty of withholding responses.^18-20