Caffeine consumed during pregnancy can change important brain pathways that could lead to behavioral problems later in life, according to new research. Researchers analyzed thousands of brain scans of nine and 10-year-olds, and revealed changes in the brain structure of children exposed to caffeine in utero. “I suppose the outcome of this study will be a recommendation that any caffeine during pregnancy is probably not such a good idea.” “These are sort of small effects and it’s not causing horrendous psychiatric conditions, but it is causing minimal but noticeable behavioral issues that should make us consider long term effects of caffeine intake during pregnancy,” says John Foxe, director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience, and principal investigator of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development or ABCD Study at the University of Rochester.