Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41268059›Full record

ReviewDrug design, development and therapy2025

Chloral Hydrate's Impact on Brain Development: From Clinical Safety to Molecular Mechanisms.

Pengyi Deng, Chenghao Zhu, Jie Zhang, Liling Zhu, Ting Xiao, Shuangquan Qu

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Drug design, development and therapy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Pengyi Deng *The School of Pediatrics, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China (Hunan Children's Hospital), Changsha, Hunan, 410007, People's Republic of China.
Chenghao Zhu *The School of Pediatrics, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China (Hunan Children's Hospital), Changsha, Hunan, 410007, People's Republic of China.
Jie ZhangThe School of Pediatrics, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China (Hunan Children's Hospital), Changsha, Hunan, 410007, People's Republic of China.ORCID 0009-0003-1492-7683
Liling ZhuThe School of Pediatrics, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China (Hunan Children's Hospital), Changsha, Hunan, 410007, People's Republic of China.
Ting XiaoDepartment of Anesthesiology, The Affiliated Children's Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University (Hunan Children's Hospital), Changsha, Hunan, 410007, People's Republic of China.
Shuangquan QuThe School of Pediatrics, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China (Hunan Children's Hospital), Changsha, Hunan, 410007, People's Republic of China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Chloral hydrate remains an irreplaceable first-line sedative in pediatric clinical practice, widely used for outpatient procedures and imaging examinations due to its proven efficacy and unique suitability for children. Despite its clinical indispensability, the impact of chloral hydrate on the developing central nervous system (CNS) in children remains largely unelucidated - a critical knowledge gap, given that children's immature blood-brain barrier (BBB) and high neuronal plasticity render their developing brains more vulnerable to pharmacological agents. Existing evidence demonstrates a significant negative correlation between the duration of chloral hydrate use and pediatric intelligence quotient (PIQ): longer usage is associated with lower PIQ scores. Prolonged use may impair non-verbal abilities reflected in PIQ, thereby compromising overall cognitive function - highlighting a critical clinical safety concern. By synthesizing current clinical observations and molecular mechanisms, this paper proposes that chloral hydrate may disrupt neurodevelopment through pathways including N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors, and the Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase-Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase (MEK-ERK) signaling pathway. Basing on these findings, caution should be exercised regarding the use of chloral hydrate - particularly its long-term administration. Long-term follow-up of exposed children is recommended to continuously monitor cognitive function and neurodevelopment, with a focus on non-verbal abilities and overall intellectual development. Future research should prioritize prospective, long-term neurodevelopmental follow-up studies, specifically in children exposed to chloral hydrate, combined with neuroimaging and biomarker studies, to further explore its potential effects on neurodevelopment. In summary, this article synthesizes existing evidence to elucidate the effects of chloral hydrate on the developing brain, spanning clinical observations to underlying molecular mechanisms, with the aim of clarifying its potential implications for pediatric neurodevelopment.

Indexed as

BrainChloral HydrateHypnotics and SedativesAnimalsChildHumansChloral HydrateHypnotics and Sedativeschloral hydratedeveloping brainneuronal apoptosisoutpatient sedationpediatric

Identifiers

PMID41268059
PMCPMC12629250

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.