Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

Experimental Biology and Medicine, 2005

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders constitute a major public health problem. This article presents an overview of important issues that surround these disorders and emphasizes the structural and neurobehavioral consequences associated with prenatal exposure to alcohol. Diagnostic criteria are discussed, and possible moderating factors for the range of outcomes are mentioned. In addition, the prevalence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders is described, and estimates of the financial impact of these disorders are given. Heavy prenatal alcohol exposure can severely affect the physical and neurobehavioral development of a child. Autopsy and brain imaging studies indicate reductions and abnormalities in overall brain size and shape, specifically in structures such as the cerebellum, basal ganglia, and corpus callosum. A wide range of neuropsychological deficits have been found in children prenatally exposed to alcohol, including deficits in visuospatial functioning, verbal and nonverbal le...

Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, 2005

Journal of Child Neurology, 2012

In the United States, approximately 80 000 women consume ethanol through all 3 trimesters of pregnancy each year. In this article, we review prevalence rates of prenatal alcohol exposure in the United States and discuss the mechanisms of prenatal alcohol exposure and placental-umbilical effects. Cigarette smoking and delayed prenatal care are often associated with prenatal alcohol exposure. In addition, increased risk for postnatal adversity is common, including maternal depression, foster care placement, and developmental delay. In part 2, we review prevalence rates and the diagnostic criteria for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and the implications for child neurologists. We discuss management strategies and the importance of a long-term management plan and anticipatory management to prevent the development of secondary disabilities in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Child neurologists play a key role in diagnosis and the development of appropriate intervention programs for affected children and their families.

Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 2006

Rivista di psichiatria

It is now known that exposure to alcohol in utero produces a wide spectrum of morphological and behavioural outcomes in the offspring, commonly referred as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). A large body of literature documents cognitive deficits and behavioural-emotional difficulties in children with FASD. Researchers have found that individuals with FASD often experience a range of adverse life outcomes, called secondary disabilities, which include disrupted school experience, troubles with the law, confinement, inappropriate sexual behaviours on repeated occasions, and alcohol/drug related problems. Additionally, despite considerable data published on cognitive and behavioural disabilities in children with FASD, relatively little information is available on behavioural or pharmacological interventions for alcohol affected children. This paper will provide a comprehensive review of the neuropsychological and behavioural effects of prenatal alcohol exposure, including a discu...

Neuropsychology Review, 2011

When fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) was initially described, diagnosis was based upon physical parameters including facial anomalies and growth retardation, with evidence of developmental delay or mental deficiency. Forty years of research has shown that FAS lies towards the extreme end of what are now termed fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). The most profound effects of prenatal alcohol exposure are

Alcohol Research : Current Reviews, 2015

Prenatal alcohol exposure can cause a number of physical, behavioral, cognitive, and neural impairments, collectively known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). This article examines basic research that has been or could be translated into practical applications for the diagnosis or treatment of FASD. Diagnosing FASD continues to be a challenge, but advances are being made at both basic science and clinical levels. These include identification of biomarkers, recognition of subtle facial characteristics of exposure, and examination of the relation between face, brain, and behavior. Basic research also is pointing toward potential new interventions for FASD involving pharmacotherapies, nutritional therapies, and exercise interventions. Although researchers have assessed the majority of these treatments in animal models of FASD, a limited number of recent clinical studies exist. An assessment of this literature suggests that targeted interventions can improve some impairments re...

Teratology, 1997

We critique published incidences for fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and present new estimates of the incidence of FAS and the prevalence of alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND). We first review criteria necessary for valid estimation of FAS incidence. Estimates for three population-based studies that best meet these criteria are reported with adjustment for underascertainment of highly exposed cases. As a result, in 1975 in Seattle, the incidence of FAS can be estimated as at least 2.8/1000 live births, and for 1979-81 in Cleveland, ϳ4.6/1,000. In Roubaix, France (for data covering periods from [1977][1978][1979][1980][1981][1982][1983][1984][1985][1986][1987][1988][1989][1990], the rate is between 1.3 and 4.8/1,000, depending on the severity of effects used as diagnostic criteria. Utilizing the longitudinal neurobehavioral database of the Seattle study, we propose an operationalization of the Institute of Medicine's recent definition of ARND and estimate its prevalence in Seattle for the period 1975-1981. The combined rate of FAS and ARND is thus estimated to be at least 9.1/1,000. This conservative rate-nearly one in every 100 live birthsconfirms the perception of many health professionals that fetal alcohol exposure is a serious problem.

Alcohol and Alcoholism, 2009

The term 'Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)' refers to the range of disabilities that may result from prenatal alcohol exposure. This article reviews the effects of ethanol on the developing brain and its long-term structural and neurobehavioural consequences. Brain imaging, neurobehavioural and experimental studies demonstrate the devastating consequences of prenatal alcohol exposure on the developing central nervous system (CNS), identifying specific brain regions affected, the range of severity of effects and mechanisms involved. In particular, neuroimaging studies have demonstrated overall and regional volumetric and surface area reductions, abnormalities in the shape of particular brain regions, and reduced and increased densities for white and grey matter, respectively. Neurobehaviourally, FASD consists of a continuum of long-lasting deficits affecting multiple aspects of cognition and behaviour. Experimental studies have also provided evidence of the vulnerability of the CNS to the teratogenic effects of ethanol and have provided new insight on the influence of risk factors in the type and severity of observed brain abnormalities. Finally, the potential molecular mechanisms that underlie the neuroteratological effects of alcohol are discussed, with particular emphasis on the role of glial cells in long-term neurodevelopmental liabilities.

Developmental neuroscience, 2010

Prenatal alcohol exposure can lead to a wide range of adverse effects on a developing fetus. As a whole, these teratogenic outcomes are generally known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, the most severe of which is fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Clinically, children diagnosed with FAS vary greatly in their presentation of symptoms, likely due to the amount of alcohol and timing of exposure, as well as maternal and genetic influences. All these factors play a role in determining the mechanisms through which alcohol damages a developing brain, the details of which are still largely unknown. However, continuing research and recent developments have provided promising results that may lead to screening mechanisms and treatment therapies for children with FAS. Here we review the teratogenic effects of alcohol, strategies for detecting maternal alcohol consumption, identification of fetal biological markers, and prevention methods for FAS.