Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder Research Articles

Effect of curcumin on the embryotoxic effect of ethanol in a zebrafish model

Curcumin, a natural polyphenol found in the turmeric plant, has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It has been widely studied for its potential protective effect against various health conditions, including ethanol-induced malformation.Ethanol exposure during pregnancy can lead to various developmental abnormalities, known as fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). Due to the high prevalence of FASD and FAS and no effective treatment, it is essential to develop preventive strategies. Recent studies have investigated the potential protective effect of curcumin against ethanol-induced malformation in animal models.This study aimed to examine whether curcumin can reduce the toxic effects of ethanol in zebrafish embryos. The present study showed that pure curcumin applied together with 1.5 % ethanol (v/v) did not lead to a protective effect on ethanol-induced malformations such as disturbances of body length and width or pericardia oedema in growing zebrafish embryos. Moreover, curcumin extract showed a pro-oxidant effect in the Fenton reaction in the presence of ethanol.

A lifespan perspective on fetal alcohol syndrome: Developmental challenges and outcomes

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) result from alcohol exposure during the intrauterine life of the fetus and are the most common nonheritable, avoidable causes of intellectual disability and a wide range of neurobehavioral outcomes. Alcohol causes neurotoxicity in the developing brain. Children with FASD experience behavioral issues from an early age and progress to adulthood. The prevalence of alcohol consumption among women is increasing. Clinically, symptoms in children with FAS manifest in a wide range of ways, probably as a result of the quantity and timing of alcohol exposure, as well as maternal and genetic effects. All of these elements contribute to the mechanisms through which alcohol harms a growing brain, the specifics of which are still largely unknown. Neuroimaging reveals alterations in the structure of the brain, white matter structure, cortical development, and functional connections. However, recent advancements and ongoing research have yielded encouraging findings that could result in the use of FAS screening tools and therapy for individuals. Intervention aims to enhance development, address behavioural challenges, and ensure suitable educational programming. Prioritizing early childhood intervention is crucial to prevent secondary disabilities that may arise from delays in obtaining a definitive diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Effective nutritional therapies as well as cognitive rehabilitation are now being tested. This disorder represents the intersection of complicated societal, community, family, and biological circumstances that increase the risk for intergenerational suffering, health disparity, and social injustice. This paper aims to guide healthcare professionals and policymaker in enhancing the quality of life for individuals with FAS through effective strategies.

Machine learning algorithms to the early diagnosis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders include a variety of physical and neurocognitive disorders caused by prenatal alcohol exposure. Although their overall prevalence is around 0.77%, FASD remains underdiagnosed and little known, partly due to the complexity of their diagnosis, which shares some symptoms with other pathologies such as autism spectrum, depression or hyperactivity disorders. This study included 73 control and 158 patients diagnosed with FASD. Variables selected were based on IOM classification from 2016, including sociodemographic, clinical, and psychological characteristics. Statistical analysis included Kruskal-Wallis test for quantitative factors, Chi-square test for qualitative variables, and Machine Learning (ML) algorithms for predictions. This study explores the application ML in diagnosing FASD and its subtypes: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), partial FAS (pFAS), and Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder (ARND). ML constructed a profile for FASD based on socio-demographic, clinical, and psychological data from children with FASD compared to a control group. Random Forest (RF) model was the most efficient for predicting FASD, achieving the highest metrics in accuracy (0.92), precision (0.96), sensitivity (0.92), F1 Score (0.94), specificity (0.92), and AUC (0.92). For FAS, XGBoost model obtained the highest accuracy (0.94), precision (0.91), sensitivity (0.91), F1 Score (0.91), specificity (0.96), and AUC (0.93). In the case of pFAS, RF model showed its effectiveness, with high levels of accuracy (0.90), precision (0.86), sensitivity (0.96), F1 Score (0.91), specificity (0.83), and AUC (0.90). For ARND, RF model obtained the best levels of accuracy (0.87), precision (0.76), sensitivity (0.93), F1 Score (0.84), specificity (0.83), and AUC (0.88). Our study identified key variables for efficient FASD screening, including traditional clinical characteristics like maternal alcohol consumption, lip-philtrum, microcephaly, height and weight impairment, as well as neuropsychological variables such as the Working Memory Index (WMI), aggressive behavior, IQ, somatic complaints, and depressive problems. Our findings emphasize the importance of ML analyses for early diagnoses of FASD, allowing a better understanding of FASD subtypes to potentially improve clinical practice and avoid misdiagnosis.

Anti-Teratogenic Potential of Exogenously Applied Over-The-Counter L-Glutathione Supplement on Ethanol-Induced Teratogenesis in Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Glutathione is the body’s most abundant endogenous non-enzymatic antioxidant and is used as a substrate for free radical scavenging in the body, especially during ethanol metabolism. This study aims to shift the paradigm of using glutathione as a whitening agent into a potent antioxidant for therapy, particularly for ethanol-induced teratogenesis in the Philippines. Zebrafish embryos were treated with glutathione at various time points of ethanol exposure and concentration. Pre-treatments, co-treatments, and post-treatments with 100 μM glutathione solution were done to assess the most appropriate time point for glutathione intake upon exposure of the embryo to ethanol. Eye diameter and otic vesicle diameter were chosen as morphological parameters because dysmorphogenesis of these organs resembles mammalian fetal alcohol syndrome disorders. For eye diameter, alleviation of microphthalmia by glutathione was seen in pre-treatment (1% ethanol only) and post-treatment (1% & 1.5%) while co-treatment did not exhibit rescue for eye diameter reduction. For otic vesicle diameter, pre- and co-treatment with glutathione did not exhibit any changes in size but post-treatment showed abnormal enlargement suggesting possible teratogenic effect across all ethanol concentrations. The 2,2-diphenylpicryl-1-hydrazine (DPPH) assay was used as a confirmatory test for the free radical scavenging activity (FRSA) of treated tissues. Pre-treatment with GSH at 1% ethanol showed the highest FRSA while post-treatment showed FRSA insignificantly different to controls. This study suggests that glutathione can alleviate oxidative stress in embryo development which may lead to dysmorphogenesis and that supplementation before and after ethanol exposure may be a viable form of therapy for ethanol-induced teratogenesis.

Serum Levels of Hormones Regulating Appetite in Patients with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.

Prenatal alcohol exposure is the cause of impaired growth and a wide range of developmental and behavioral disorders in the child. Improper eating patterns are commonly associated with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) and may contribute to poor nutrition and growth restriction. To date, there have been only a few studies investigating the hormonal regulation of appetite in patients with FASD. We analyzed the levels of neuropeptide Y (NPY), Agouti signaling protein (ASP), alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH), and kisspeptin (KISS1) in 57 patients with FASD and 23 healthy controls. A comparison of the hormone levels studied was also performed in subgroups of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and neurobehavioral disorder associated with prenatal alcohol exposure (ND PAE), as well as in males and females. We have found no differences in hormone levels tested between affected individuals and the controls and between FASD subgroups. In addition, sex had no effect on hormone levels. However, we identified some associations between hormone concentrations and parameters describing the clinical status of patients with FASD. Most of them concerned ASP, which has shown a positive correlation with age and hormones involved in appetite and metabolism, such as proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). We have also found a negative correlation of α-MSH with age, BMI percentile, and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). Furthermore, we found a weak negative correlation of NPY with HbA1c. Although FASD has been associated with impaired child growth and development, including nutrition and puberty onset, we did not identify differences in the levels of the hormones studied, which may suggest that prenatal alcohol exposure does not affect the levels of these metabolites.

Ethyl glucuronide and ethyl sulfate in the zebrafish after ethanol exposure

Ethanol exposure during pregnancy is an important problem and is the cause of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). The etiology of FAS and FASD can be elucidated using animal models. Recently, a novel model, the zebrafish (Danio rerio), has garnered the interest of researchers. This study confirmed the negative influence of ethyl alcohol (0.5 %, 1.5 %, and 2.5 % v/v) on the development of zebrafish embryos. The observed malformations included pericardial and yolk sac edema, increased body curvature, tail edema, and a decreased embryo hatching rate. The differences in body length, body width, and heart rate were statistically significant. Due to the similarities in the quantity and function of ethanol biotransformation enzymes between zebrafish and mammals, this study investigated the nonoxidative metabolites of ethanol – ethyl glucuronide (EtG) and ethyl sulfate (EtS) – in zebrafish following ethanol exposure. This research confirmed that EtG and EtS concentrations can be measured in zebrafish embryos, and the levels of these metabolites appear to be associated with the ethyl alcohol concentration in the medium.

Recommendations for working with a pregnant woman consuming alcohol perspective of family assistants

Working with families with children in the form of family assistantship has been carried out in Poland for over 10 years. The family assistant works with families to strengthen their care and educational skills and to assist with home and family matters. It also coordinates counselling for pregnant women. Families deal with life's difficulties in different ways. Alcohol is seen as one of the means of self-regulation of emotions. Drinking alcohol by pregnant women can lead to FASD (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder). Thus, the profession of a family assistant is one of the helping professions that can counteract this phenomenon. This article presents the experiences of family assistants in working with pregnant women who consume alcohol and their opinions on the methods of preventing and treating addictions in expectant mothers.

Spectrum of MRI findings of foetal alcohol syndrome disorders—what we know and what we need to know!

The exposure to alcohol in utero has been known to damage the developing foetus. Foetal alcohol spectrum disorders is an umbrella term that highlights a range of adverse effects linked to alcohol exposure in utero. Multiple studies have shown specific brain abnormalities, including a reduction in brain size, specifically in the deep nuclei and cerebellum, and parietal and temporal lobe white matter changes. While studies ascertained that other prenatal risk factors, such as maternal use of illicit drugs or lack of pre-natal care, and post-natal risk factors, such as physical or sexual abuse and low socioeconomic status, may be involved in the pathology of variances in foetal neurological abnormalities, prenatal alcohol exposure remained the strongest factor for effects on brain structure and function. Particularly, the number of days of alcohol consumption per week and drinking during all three trimesters of the pregnancy indicating the strongest relationship with brain abnormalities. Further studies are needed to explain pre-natal risk factors in isolation as well as in combination for neurodevelopmental outcomes. The diverse phenotypic presentations described indicate that the diagnostic criteria of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder must be refined to better represent the range of neurologic anomalies.

Short and Long Term Impacts and Implications of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorders on Cognitive Development in Childhood

Fetal alcohol syndrome disorders (FASD) represent a collection of disorders with which a child is born, due to maternal consumption of alcohol during pregnancy. Known as an invisible disability, its prevalence is difficult to capture, in part due to societal stigma and the lack of physical markers contributing to diagnostic difficulty. In Canada, FASD prevalence is estimated to be around 4%. The symptoms experienced by a child with FASD are typically classified into two categories: primary disabilities to describe functional deficits since birth as a result of the impact of alcohol on the brain; and secondary disabilities that occur later in life as a result of a child’s environment and primary disabilities. The impacts of FASD will affect each child differently in both the types and severity of disabilities. A major challenge faced by children and youth with FASD is receiving adequate mental health support, as well as evidence-informed practices involved in improving behavioural and cognitive functioning. COVID-19 has dramatically affected both children with FASD and their caregivers, likely exacerbating existing challenges. With increased rates of alcohol consumption and other mediating factors, experts are concerned about rising FASD rates during the pandemic.

Psychotropic Medication Utilization Among Children Diagnosed With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

To date, there has been no large, population-based study estimating the prevalence of psychotropic medication use and cooccurring medical conditions among children with fetal alcohol syndrome disorder (FASD). In addition, it is not known how psychotropic medication use varies by mental health status of the children with FASD and their health insurance coverage. This study attempts to fill this gap by analyzing a large health insurance claims database covering Medicaid and private insurance. The study used the 2017 IBM Watson Health MarketScan Multistate Medicaid and Commercial Claims databases. The sample for the analysis includes children between the ages of 0 and 17 with either an FASD diagnosis or a mental health diagnosis (N = 848 721 Medicaid; N = 511 061 private insurance). More than half of the children with an FASD diagnosis were prescribed psychotropic medications (63% Medicaid; 57% private). Utilization rates of psychotropic medication among children with cooccurring FASD and a mental health condition (79% Medicaid; 71% private) were higher compared to children with a mental health diagnosis but no FASD (57% Medicaid; 57% private). Stimulants were the most commonly prescribed. Encephalopathy, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and epilepsy were the 3 most common cooccurring diagnosis among children with FASD using psychotropic medication under Medicaid compared to encephalopathy, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and anxiety with private insurance. These results exemplify the complexity of the neurobehavioral profile of children with FASD and the challenge of treatment. Future studies may determine how supportive services for these children will affect psychotropic medication use.

Fetal alcohol syndrome and the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders: A longitudinal cohort study

BackgroundThis hypothesis-testing study evaluated the relationship between fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and neurodevelopmental disorder (ND) diagnoses within the Independent Healthcare Research Database (IHRD). MethodsDe-identified eligibility and claim healthcare records prospectively generated from the 1990–2012 Florida Medicaid system were analyzed using SAS software. There were 89,766 children continuously eligible with ≥10 outpatient office visits during the 120 month period following birth in the cohort examined. A total of 321 children were diagnosed with FAS. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (n = 922), tics (n = 551), attention deficit disorder/attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD) (n = 20,260), mental retardation (MR) (n = 915), and specific delays in development (SDD) (n = 24,630) incidence rates were examined using frequency risk ratio (RR) and logistic regression models. ResultsThe incidence rate of tics (RR = 5.68), ADD/ADHD (RR = 2.30), MR (RR = 7.83), SDD (RR = 2.88), and ASD (RR = 6.74) were significantly increased among FAS diagnosed children as compared to undiagnosed children. Adjusted (for gender, race, residency, and date of birth) odds ratios (ORs) were significantly increased for tics (OR = 4.87), ADD/ADHD (OR = 3.40), MR (OR = 7.91), SDD (OR = 9.56), and ASD (OR = 6.87) when comparing the FAS diagnosed children to undiagnosed children. ConclusionTens of thousands of American children with lifetime costs in the billions of US dollars were estimated to be impacted by FAS-associated NDs. These impacts are particularly tragic because FAS is dependent upon lifestyle.

Effectiveness of nutritional interventions to prevent nonprogressive congenital and perinatal brain injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials.

Nutritional interventions for newborns with brain injury are scarce, and there are gaps in the knowledge of their mechanisms of action in preventing the occurrence of cerebral palsy (CP) or the incidence of other developmental disabilities. The objective of this review was to assess the effect of nutritional interventions in preventing nonprogressive congenital or perinatal brain injuries, or in improving outcomes related to neurological development. Randomized trials on any nutritional intervention for pregnant women at risk of preterm delivery, or for children with low birth weight, preterm, or with confirmed or suspected microcephaly, CP, or fetal alcohol syndrome disorders (FASDs) were retrieved from MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, LILACS, and CENTRAL databases from inception to September 17, 2020. Data extraction, risk of bias (Cochrane Risk of Bias tool 2), and quality of evidence (GRADE approach) were assessed by 2 authors. Pooled risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals were calculated using a random-effects meta-analysis. Seventeen studies were included on intravenous interventions (magnesium sulfate [n = 5], amino acids [n = 4], vitamin A [n = 1], and N-acetylcysteine [n = 1]); enteral interventions (vitamin D [n = 1], prebiotic [n = 1], nutrient-enriched formula [n = 1], and speed of increasing milk feeds [n = 1]); and oral interventions (choline [n = 1] and docosahexaenoic acid, choline, and uridine monophosphate [n = 1]). All studies assessed CP, except 1 on FASDs. Eight studies were judged as having high risk of bias. Five studies (7413 babies) with high-quality evidence demonstrated decreased risk of childhood CP (RR = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.52-0.88) with magnesium sulfate. Interventions with amino acids had no effect on CP prevention or other outcomes. Except for 1 study, no other intervention decreased the risk of CP or FASDs. Although different types of nutritional interventions were found, only those with antenatal magnesium sulfate were effective in decreasing CP risk in preterm infants. Well-designed, adequately powered randomized clinical trials are required.

Fetal alcohol syndrome knowledge and risk behaviors among university students and community residents in Limpopo, South Africa

The Republic of South Africa has the highest documented fetal alcohol syndrome prevalence globally. In the Limpopo province, little is known about students’ or community members’ knowledge of fetal alcohol syndrome or fetal alcohol spectrum disorder rates and risk behaviors. The aim of this study was to characterize and compare knowledge about fetal alcohol syndrome and other fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and the related behaviors such as drinking among University of Venda students and local community residents in villages to inform educational efforts to prevent fetal alcohol syndrome. Participants ([Formula: see text]) were from the University of Venda and two villages, Maungani and Ha-Mangilasi, and completed an epidemiological survey about their characteristics, behaviors, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder risks. We analyzed differences between the university students and community residents in fetal alcohol syndrome knowledge and the related risk behaviors. University students have heard of fetal alcohol syndrome (Fisher’s exact test p < .001), have seen warning labels about drinking during pregnancy (Fisher’s exact test p = .003), and were aware that a baby is born with birth defects if diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome (Fisher’s exact test p = .03) with more knowledge of fetal alcohol syndrome compared to community residents. Most respondents thought it was unacceptable to drink during pregnancy. Despite this, a substantial number of participants thought it was acceptable to have one drink after pregnancy recognition. There was little knowledge of best practices about alcohol consumption to prepare for pregnancy, or once recognized. We recommend an education campaign to raise awareness of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders across Limpopo, especially in smaller villages, and further research to determine demographic and experiential risk factors to aid in prevention efforts.

Pilot Study on Analysis of Electroencephalography Signals from Children with FASD with the Implementation of Naive Bayesian Classifiers.

In this paper Naive Bayesian classifiers were applied for the purpose of differentiation between the EEG signals recorded from children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorders (FASD) and healthy ones. This work also provides a brief introduction to the FASD itself, explaining the social, economic and genetic reasons for the FASD occurrence. The obtained results were good and promising and indicate that EEG recordings can be a helpful tool for potential diagnostics of FASDs children affected with it, in particular those with invisible physical signs of these spectrum disorders.

Orthodontic evaluation of children and adolescents with different types of Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorders.

To assess general and oral health status, including the presence of malocclusion and orthodontic treatment needs, in children and adolescents with FASD in relation to different types of this disorder. A total of 67 participants (29 males and 38 females) aged 2.5-17.8years with confirmed diagnosis of FASD were included. The participants were divided into three subgroups: foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), partial foetal alcohol syndrome (PFAS) and alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorders (ARND). General health, oral health status, history of dental trauma, presence of dysfunctions or parafunctions, and occlusion were examined. Additionally, the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN) index was calculated. Selected variables were compared to the results obtained from a national monitoring survey on the oral health conditions in Poland. In children and adolescents with FASD, a number of systemic anomalies including alimentary, neurological and musculoskeletal disorders were present. Dysfunctions and parafunctions such as mouth breathing and thumb sucking were frequently recorded. Children with FASD had an increased prevalence of distal occlusion and crossbite compared to the general population. Malocclusions were more often identified in the FAS group. No significant differences in the IOTN between different FASD groups were found. Borderline need for orthodontic treatment was more frequent in children with FASD compared to controls. Early screening for the presence of dysfunctions/parafunctions and malocclusions in children with FASD is recommended, so that orthodontic prophylaxis and state-funded orthodontic care programmes for these children are implemented.

Non-Smad, BMP-dependent signaling protects against the effects of acute ethanol toxicity

This study explores the effect of acute Ethanol (EtOH) exposure on Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP)-evoked intracellular signaling, and the concomitant morphological changes induced by EtOH in C2C12 cells and DRG (Dorsal root ganglion) neurons in an in vitro model related to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder (FASD). All assays were performed within 30 min of BMP stimulation to specifically investigate the earliest events occurring in BMP-evoked intracellular signaling pathways. We show that Smad phosphorylation and nuclear translocation stimulated by BMPs was not altered following acute exposure to EtOH. In contrast, acute EtOH exposure alone caused a striking concentration-dependent decrease in Akt phosphorylation, as well as a loss of adhesion in C2C12 cells. The addition of BMPs before exposure to EtOH was associated with maintenance of Akt phosphorylation, greater cell adhesion in C2C12 cells, and preservation of growth cone complexity in DRG neurons. Thus, for both C2C12 cells and DRG neurons, BMPs, acting through non-canonical BMP signaling pathways, appear to impart some protection against the profound effects of acute EtOH exposure on cellular adhesion and structure.

Multitalker speech perception in neurodiverse populations

The ability to selectively attend to one talker in the presence of competing talkers is a crucial skill employed in everyday life. In this study, multitalker speech perception thresholds were measured in three groups; Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder (FASD), and an age- and sex-matched typically functioning (TF) group. Participants listened to three simultaneous sentences from the Coordinate Response Measure corpus: the target stream to be attended (0° azimuth) and two spatially separated (±45° azimuth) masker streams. Participants were asked to identify the color and number associated with the callsign “Charlie.” Target-to-masker ratios (TMRs) were estimated based on the average of four runs in which the target was fixed at 40 dB SPL and maskers were adaptively varied using a one-up-one-down procedure to estimate 50% correct. The target speaker was always male; the two maskers were either male/male or female/female. Overall, TMR thresholds were higher in both ASD and FASD groups than the TF group. Additionally, a negative correlation between intellectual ability and TMR thresholds was observed. These preliminary results suggest intellectual ability may impact how well listener’s perceive speech in multitalker situations, especially in neurodiverse populations.

A brief overview of fetal alcohol syndrome for health professionals.

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) are caused by prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). They cause epigenetic changes, permanent neurodevelopmental deficits, and anomalies in growth and facial structure. This article enforces the need for health and social care professionals to have a greater understanding and awareness of how FAS and FASD may impact on the individual, the family and the community, to enable them to provide the most effective preventive and supportive care possible.

Disruptions in global network segregation and integration in adolescents and young adults with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a significant public health problem that is associated with a broad range of physical, neurocognitive, and behavioral effects resulting from prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been an important tool for advancing our knowledge of abnormal brain structure and function in individuals with FASD. However, whereas only a small number of studies have applied graph theory-based network analysis to resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) data in individuals with FASD additional research in this area is needed. Resting-state fMRI data were collected from adolescent and young adult participants (ages 12-22) with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) or alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND) and neurotypically developing controls (CNTRL) from previous studies. Group independent components analysis (gICA) was applied to fMRI data to extract components representing functional brain networks. Functional network connectivity (FNC), measured by Pearson correlation of the average independent component (IC) time series, was analyzed under a graph theory framework to compare network modularity, the average clustering coefficient, characteristic path length, and global efficiency between groups. Cognitive intelligence, measured by the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI), was compared and correlated to global network measures. Group comparisons revealed significant differences in the average clustering coefficient, characteristic path length, and global efficiency. Modularity was not significantly different between groups. The FAS and ARND groups scored significantly lower than the CNTRL group on Full Scale IQ (FS-IQ) and the Vocabulary subtest, but not the Matrix Reasoning subtest. No significant associations between intelligence and graph theory measures were detected. Our results partially agree with previous studies examining global graph theory metrics in children and adolescents with FASD and suggest that the exposure to alcohol during prenatal development leads to disruptions in aspects of functional network segregation and integration.

Gestational age and birth growth parameters as early predictors of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

To investigate gestational age and growth at birth as predictors of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). The sample analyzed here comprises 737 randomly selected children who were assessed for growth, dysmorphology, and neurobehavior at 7years of age. Maternal interviews were conducted to ascertain prenatal alcohol exposure and other maternal risk factors. Birth data originated from clinic records and the data at 7years of age originated from population-based, in-school studies. Binary linear regression assessed the relationship between preterm birth, small for gestational age (SGA), and their combination on the odds of a specific FASD diagnosis or any FASD. Among children diagnosed with FASD at 7years of age (n=255), a review of birth records indicated that 18.4% were born preterm, 51.4% were SGA, and 5.9% were both preterm and SGA. When compared to non-FASD controls (n=482), the birth percentages born preterm, SGA, and both preterm and SGA were respectively 12.0%, 27.7%, and 0.5%. Mothers of children with FASD reported more drinking during all trimesters, higher gravidity, lower educational attainment, and older age at pregnancy. After controlling for usual drinks per drinking day in the first trimester, number of trimesters of drinking, maternal education, tobacco use, and maternal age, the odds ratio of an FASD diagnosis by age 7 was significantly associated with SGA (OR=2.16, 95% CI: 1.35 to 3.45). SGA was also significantly associated with each of the 3most common specific diagnoses within the FASD continuum: fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS; OR=3.1), partial FAS (OR=2.1), and alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (OR=2.0). SGA is a robust early indicator for FASD in this random sample of children assessed at 7years of age.