Abstract
Alcohol exposure during pregnancy disrupts the development of the brain and produces long lasting behavioral and cognitive impairments collectively known as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs). FASDs are characterized by alterations in learning, working memory, social behavior and executive function. A large body of literature using preclinical prenatal alcohol exposure models reports alcohol-induced changes in architecture and activity in specific brain regions affecting cognition. While multiple putative mechanisms of alcohol’s long-lasting effects on morphology and behavior have been investigated, an area that has received less attention is the effect of alcohol on cell adhesion molecules (CAMs). The embryo/fetal development represents a crucial period for Central Nervous System (CNS) development during which the cell-cell interaction plays an important role. CAMs play a critical role in neuronal migration and differentiation, synaptic organization and function which may be disrupted by alcohol. In this review, we summarize the physiological structure and role of CAMs involved in brain development, review the current literature on prenatal alcohol exposure effects on CAM function in different experimental models and pinpoint areas needed for future study to better understand how CAMs may mediate the morphological, sensory and behavioral outcomes in FASDs.
Highlights
Maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy is well recognized as an important public health concern
It has been shown the involvement of Neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) in the trafficking of the neurotransmitter receptor dopamine 2 (Xiao et al, 2009). Taken together these findings demonstrated that different prenatal alcohol exposure models affect significantly the NCAMs in brain region-dependent manner, confirming the role of this class of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) as like alcohol target during Central Nervous System (CNS) development
Considering the important role by this class of cell adhesion molecules plays during CNS development and in learning and memory processes, further investigation is needed in order to evaluate the possible involvement of integrins in the cognitive deficits observed in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs)
Summary
Maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy is well recognized as an important public health concern. 20 years ago, the term Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs) was introduced to recognize the broad range of effects induced by maternal alcohol exposure (Koren et al, 2003; Sokol et al, 2003; Chudley et al, 2005; Cook et al, 2016). FASDs are characterized by impairments in working memory, response inhibition, and behavioral flexibility (Streissguth et al, 1991; Mattson et al, 1999; Green et al, 2009; Marquardt et al, 2020)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
