Paracetamol Proven Risky for Babies

A team of researchers at the Uppsala University, Sweden, found that neonatal paracetamol (acetaminophen) exposure could affect the development of brain. The researchers brought out the conclusion after treating it on ten-day-old mice. The behavioral testing was carried out when the animals reached maturity.

The study revealed that neonatal exposure of mice to paracetamol increases the levels of BDNF (Brain-derived neurotrophic factor) in the neonatal brain causing behavioral disturbances in adult animals, including hyperactivity, lack of habituation to a new home environment, decreased learning and memory capability. Analgesic and anti-anxiolytic effects of paracetamol treatment, in the adult mice, were reduced. During a critical period for the development of the brain, like the neonatal one, the exposure and the presence of paracetamol can produce long-lasting effects on cognitive function and alter the adult response to paracetamol in mice, the researchers say.

Another research carried out at the University of California, Irvine, reveals that the use of contraceptives like birth control pills, cause memory changes in women when compared to those who don’t use them. UCI graduate researcher Shawn Nielsen said that the medications did not damage the memory but caused a change in the type of information stored in it.  Birth control pills are also found to cause increased stroke risk and blood clots.

Infoeditor