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Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Alters Brain Activity in the Frontal-Striatal Areas
According to an article on Science Daily's website on July 27, 2007, heavy prenatal alcohol exposure does not always lead to a diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS); a person may not have the craniofacial features needed to make an FAS diagnosis, but prenatal alcohol exposure can still be very damaging. It can lead to cognitive and behavioral deficits. A new study has found that children and adolescents prenatally exposed to alcohol have altered responses in frontal-striatal areas, brain regions that may inhibit behavior "Prenatal alcohol exposure is a major public health concern, both here in the U.S. and internationally, " said Susanna L. Fryer, a fourth-year graduate student in the San Diego State University/University of California, San Diego joint doctoral program in Clinical Psychology. "Experts estimate that nine per 1000 births in this country show evidence of clinically significant effects of prenatal alcohol exposure."
Inattention and behavioral dis-inhibition are considered hallmark features of prenatal alcohol exposure, added Fryer, also the study's corresponding author.
"Anecdotal observations from parents, other caregivers, and teachers of individuals with prenatal alcohol exposure tell of poor behavioral regulation," said Fryer. According to the study, individuals with FASD are at greater risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and other psychiatric diseases linked with poor inhibitory control. "Also, in a possible reflection of poor behavioral regulation, individuals with histories of prenatal alcohol exposure are thought to be over-represented in the criminal-justice system," she said. Fryer said that this study supports 30 years of previous research. "Prenatal alcohol exposure can cause damage to the brain that results in significant problems with regulating behavior and optimal thinking and learning," she said.
These results are published in the August issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. Co-authors of the ACER paper, "Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Affects Frontal-Striatal BOLD Response during Inhibitory Control," were: S.F. Tapert and M.P. Paulus of the and E.P. Riley of the Department of Psychology& the Center for Behavioral Teratology at San Diego State University; & A.D. Spadoni of San Diego State University & the University of California, San Diego.
