title: Drinking During Pregnancy and the Developing Brain: Is Any Amount Safe?
abstract: Heavy prenatal alcohol exposure can have lifelong, disabling effects on brain and cognition. Unlike animal studies, research on light-to-moderate drinking in humans demonstrates less consistent impact. Discussions of negative research findings in popular media underestimate potential adverse outcomes and complicate decisions about risks versus benefits of light-to-moderate drinking during pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: VA Boston Healthcare System and Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, 1400 VFW Parkway, West Roxbury, MA 02132, USA. Electronic address: mcharness@hms.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Michael E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Charness
authors.affiliation: Center for Behavioral Teratology, San Diego State University, 6330 Alvarado Court, San Diego, CA 92120, USA.
authors.forename: Edward P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Riley
authors.affiliation: Developmental Cognitive Neuroimaging Laboratory and Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Institute for the Developing Mind, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, 4650 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA. Electronic address: esowell@chla.usc.edu.
authors.forename: Elizabeth R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Sowell
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000196:embryology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D063647:Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D012306:Risk; D057545:Social Stigma