Maternal mood disorders and lithium exposure in utero were not associated with poor cognitive development during childhood.

This study evaluated whether maternal mood disorders, particularly bipolar disorder, and lithium treatment during pregnancy influenced the neonatal health and cognition of children born from 2006- 2010.Our study at Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden, focused on women with and without mood disorders and their children. Information on pharmacotherapy, mental health, delivery and neonatal complications was retrospectively collected from electronic patient records. Children were tested in a blinded manner at 4-5 years of age with the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, 3(rd) edition. Maternal health, child health and social situations were evaluated.Of the 39 children, 20 were exposed to lithium and maternal mood disorders during pregnancy, eight were exposed to maternal mood disorders but not lithium and 11 were not exposed to maternal mood disorders or lithium. The children's Full Scale Intelligence Quotient (IQ), Performance IQ and Verbal IQ results did not differ significantly between the groups. The processing speed quotient was significantly lower in children exposed to mood disorders, but there was a high level of missing data for this subtest.This small, clinical cohort showed no significant association between mothers' prenatal exposure to lithium or mood disorders and their offspring's IQ. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.