Aaylia Smith

Ms. J. Coco
English 1001-02
April 25, 2016

The Neurological and Cardiovascular Effects on Cocaine-Exposed Infants:

Crying and Heart Activity
Inquiry Question:
What are the neurological and cardiovascular effects of cocaine use on the newborn infant?
Maybe change it to: On an exposed newborn infant?- gotcha!

Audience:
My audience includes anyone, preferable women, would are addicted to any drug and is
considering having a child, or anyone who is currently pregnant and may be considering
experimenting with cocaine.

Preface:
Three Questions:
1. How can I improve my introduction?
2. What other information can I include about my topic?
3. Is this paper fluid? Why or why not?

Introduction
When thinking of child birth, we mostly think of the beauty and excitement that we
experience. We often get caught up the in thought of ten fingers, ten toes, and soft faces that
smile and look confused. This is a beautiful picture for the mind to paint, however, all children
arent born with this reality. I would include what mothers are advised to do while pregnant (no
drugs or alcohol, monthly checkups etc) and then move into young mothers and their lack to take
these precautions Most times, the actions of the mother can lead to the child experiencing
harmful birth defects and issues with coping with the environment. Early mothers dont always
realize that whatever they expose themselves to, the child has to also deal with the situation.
There are many things that can make pregnancy a bumpy ride for a mother and child. One of the
most prevalent customs that may incur complications is maternal drug use. This report explains
common cardiovascular and neurological effects on a cocaine- exposed infant.

When thinking of child birth, we mostly think of the beauty and excitement that we
experience. We think of the childs future and what they may become. However, not many of us
think of the things that could go wrong in child birth. In many of these cases, we forget that the
actions of the mother can lead to the child experiencing harmful birth defects and issues with
coping with the environment can seriously harm the child. One of the most prevalent customs
that may incur birth complications is maternal drug use. This report explores the common
effects of cocaine on the cardiovascular and neurological functions of an exposed infant.

What is Cocaine?
Cocaine is a powerful psychoactive substance that mostly impacts the brain. Cocaine
also has a hand in the distortion of certain physiological processes, which may include heart rate,
body temperature, behavior, anxiety, paranoia, seizures, nausea, etc. (Volkow,3-4). Although
there is no specific date or founder of Cocaine, its recreational use has been acknowledged
over the past one hundred or so years. Cocaine revealed itself at different times for different uses.
It wasnt until the a few years ago, that cocaine hit its high-rise, causing people to label it the
drug of the 1980s, and 1990s (Volkow,1). Cocaine can be very harmful to adult humans,
effecting every part of the body. Imagine if the same amount was given to someone three seven??
times smaller. Cocaine basically rushes throughout the entire infant body, controlling every
aspect of its function. Cocaine can last inside the body of an infant anywhere between two to
seven days. (OTIS, 1). This is a really strong paragraph!! But I dont know if you should include
the babies in it, since the heading suggest that the paragraph is soley about what cocaine is.
How Is Cocaine Exposed to the Infant?
The development of the fetus is a very long and meticulous process. During this process,
the mother relays nutrient and vital materials to the child she carries. This helps the child to grow
properly. However, if this mother is on drugs, the baby will ultimately get the brunt of certain
effects. Cocaine crosses the placenta and the maternal use of cocaine results in a rapid distribution of
the drug to fetal tissues with several times higher concentrations in organs than in blood. (Meyer,2).

This, in turn causes the baby to manifest reactions such as jitteriness, increased arrhythmic
patterns, and excessive crying. After passing through the placenta, and into amniotic fluid,
cocaine has a free passage into the nasal orifice, then into the brain. There are certain chemicals
in the brain that control craving and adrenaline. Once the drug impacts the neurotransmitters

where these chemical exist, it blocks them from up taking these substances, replacing them.
This in turn, causes the baby to become dependent on the drug to remain in a neutral state.
What Are the Cardiovascular Effects of Cocaine?
Every single organ, tissue, and cell must have a specific time and place of development.
One of the most, if not the most vital organ in the body, is the heart which controls everything in
the body. The heart is the center of life. If it should stop, miss a beat, or have any issues, they rest
of the body will know. It may be very common knowledge that drug use is not good for the heart,
but some people dont believe this until they experience it first hand when delivering a child.
There are many cardiovascular effects that take place when a child has been exposed to
narcotics. The heart is probably the most effected organ. Really well written

Cocaine is known to increase heart rate and decrease its cardiac output, which can
increase the risk of heterotaxy heart disease (Meyer, 2). This means that the heart
cannot pump fast enough, or with enough capacity to reach all areas of the body.
Other effects on the heart can include the increased risk of transient myocardial
ischemia. Myocardial Ischemia is group of artery diseases. Explain what these
diseases are.
What Are the Neurological Effect of Cocaine?

The second most powerful muscle in the body is the brain, which also controls everything
in the body. Cocaine effects the dopamine- neural release relationship in the brain. Dopamine is
usually relayed to the receptors in the synapse, where it binds to its receptors. It is then
recycled back into the transmitting protein to be transported. When cocaine is present, it blocks
the recycling process by attaching to the dopamine transporter. This leads to build up of

dopamine in the synapse, which leads to the pleasurable effects or cocaine taking place
(Volkow, 3).
Im sure that you havent finished yet, but I think the previous paragraph needs a little more
information as well as a conclusion. I think your paper is really fluid and very well written! I
would work on the introduction to perfect it even more

Works Cited

Volkow, Nora D. "Cocaine." Research Report Series (1999): n. pag. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.

OTIS. Mother to Baby. N.p.: Organization of Teratology Information Specialists, 2014. Print.

Okie, Susie. "Crack Babies: The Epidemic That Wasn't." The New York Times [Baltimore]
26 Jan. 2009: n. pag. Print.

Lester, M., Barry, Corwin, M., Sepkoski, C., Seifer, R., Peucker, M., McLaughlin, S., & Golub H. (1991).

Neurobiological Syndromes in Cocaine-Exposed Newborn Infants. Journal of Child

Development, Volume 62, 694-705.

Behnke, M., and V. C. Smith. "Prenatal Substance Abuse: Short- and Long-term Effects on the
Exposed Fetus." Pediatrics131.3 (2013): n. pag. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.

Meyer, K. D., and L. Zhang. "Short- and Long-term Adverse Effects of Cocaine Abuse
duringPregnancy on the Heart Development." Therapeutic Advances in Cardiovascular Disease
3.1 (2009): 7-16. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.