The research team from the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC studied 34 newborns between 14 and 39 hours of age. 17 of the mothers had taken SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) antidepressants (such as Prozac and Paxil) during pregnancy and 17 did not.

During the study, the babies’ startle responses, motor activity, heart rate, behavioral states, sleeping states, and number of tremors were measured during an hour-long observation period.

The results show that SSRI exposed infants had significantly more tremors, fewer changes in behavioral states, more active sleep with fewer and shorter periods of REM (deep) sleep. They also experienced more spontaneous startles or arousals than the non-exposed babies.

“The present study provides the first systematic evidence that prenatal SSRI exposure is significantly associated with a wide range of [abnormal nervous system originated behaviors] among healthy, full-birthweight infants,” the authors say.

“In all, results of the present study call into question the conclusion that SSRI use during pregnancy has little impact on the developing fetus and infant outcome,” they conclude.

They close by saying, “it is also unclear whether these outcomes are transient or provide the basis for subsequent [neurological behavior] problems,” that may not be discovered until later in the child’s life.