SCIENCE BRIEFING
Times Staff and Wire Reports
Toddlers of moms who took the epilepsy drug valproate during pregnancy had lower IQs than the children of women who used other anti-seizure medicines, according to a new study.
The valproate children had IQ scores six to nine points lower by age 3. The drug, also sold in the U.S. under the brand name Depakote, had previously been linked to birth defects, particularly spina bifida.
The new study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
