Teratogenic effects of alcohol: a decade of brain imaging.
Heavy alcohol exposure can have serious and long-lasting effects on the developing fetal brain. In the last decade, researchers have utilized quantitative structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine the brains of living children and adults with histories of heavy prenatal alcohol exposure. In addition to microcephaly, these studies indicated structural abnormalities in various regions of the brain, including the cerebellum, corpus callosum, and the basal ganglia. Most recently, we have utilized novel imaging and analytic techniques to study the brain as a whole in an effort to elucidate more subtle differences than was possible with earlier techniques. Results indicated displacements in the corpus callosum, increased gray matter densities in both hemispheres in the perisylvian regions, and altered gray matter asymmetry in portions of the temporal lobes in the brains of alcohol-exposed subjects. In addition, prominent shape abnormalities were observed in the brains of these subjects, with narrowing in the temporal region and reduced brain growth in portions of the frontal lobe. These results imply that brain growth continues to be adversely affected long after the prenatal insult and that the brain regions most affected may be consistent with the neurocognitive deficits characteristic of individuals prenatally exposed to alcohol.
Riley
Edward P
EP
Center for Behavioral Teratology, San Diego State University, 6363 Alvarado Court #209, San Diego, CA 92120, USA. eriley@mail.sdsu.edu
McGee
Christie L
CL
Sowell
Elizabeth R
ER
D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D063647:Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D011247:Pregnancy; D011859:Radiography; D012886:Skull / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology