Abstract
Prenatal alcohol exposure leads to alterations in cognition, behavior and underlying brain architecture. However, prior studies have not integrated structural and functional imaging data in children with prenatal alcohol exposure. The aim of this study was to characterize disruptions in both structural and functional brain network organization after prenatal alcohol exposure in very early life. A group of 11 neonates with prenatal alcohol exposure and 14 unexposed controls were investigated using diffusion weighted structural and resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Covariance networks were created using graph theoretical analyses for each data set, controlling for age and sex. Group differences in global hub arrangement and regional connectivity were determined using nonparametric permutation tests. Neonates with prenatal alcohol exposure and controls exhibited similar global structural network organization. However, global functional networks of neonates with prenatal alcohol exposure comprised of temporal and limbic hubs, while hubs were more distributed in controls representing an early default mode network. On a regional level, controls showed prominent structural and functional connectivity in parietal and occipital regions. Neonates with prenatal alcohol exposure showed regionally, predominant structural and functional connectivity in several subcortical regions and occipital regions. The findings suggest early functional disruption on a global and regional level after prenatal alcohol exposure and indicate suboptimal organization of functional networks. These differences likely underlie sensory dysregulation and behavioral difficulties in prenatal alcohol exposure.
Highlights
The early period of brain development represents a critical time during which effects of prenatal exposures may be embedded and have impact for life
prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) neonates had significantly higher connectivity in temporal, occipital and frontal regions compared to controls, while controls had higher connectivity in parietal regions (Table 4)
PAE, prenatal alcohol exposed; AMYG, amygdala; FG, fusiform gyrus; IFG-T, inferior frontal gyrus; LNG, lingual gyrus; MCG, middle cingulate gyrus; MFG, middle frontal gyrus; PCUN, precuneus; ROL, rolandic operculum; SOG, superior occipital gyrus; STP, superior temporal pole frontal regions compared to controls, while controls had greater connectivity in parietal and occipital regions
Summary
The early period of brain development represents a critical time during which effects of prenatal exposures may be embedded and have impact for life. The brain develops rapidly during the first year of life and is fundamentally connected by two years of age, while functional specialization continues throughout childhood into adulthood (Gao et al 2017). Connections between medial frontal and parietal association regions are present, but are yet to become fully integrated parts of the default-mode network (DMN) (Gao et al 2017). Primary networks adapt over time to favor longer-range connections that balance the cost of segregation and integration of brain networks (Cao et al 2017; Vertes and Bullmore 2015)
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