Potential Effects of Alcohol Consumption on Prenatal Development
- Submitted by: jcdownes
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- Category: Science
- Date Submitted: 03/19/2010 07:29 AM
- Pages: 8
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Since 1973, when fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) was first identified, a significant volume of research has drawn conclusions that prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) has an effect on the biological basis of development (Templeton et. al., 2006). Alcohol is a major teratogen which passes through the placenta to the foetus during the prenatal period. Alcohol exposure interferes with fetal nerve cell development and connections, causing cell death of neurons (Gohlke et. al., 2008) and altering the brain’s structure (Chen et. al., 2003; O’Connor, 2002). Earlier research focused on the relationship between heavy alcohol consumption and FAS, while more recent research has also considered low to moderate intake. FAS has a set diagnostic criteria based on three areas but research has broadened out to cover the wider range of harms created by maternal alcohol use, rather than solely within the FAS criteria, and fetal alcohol syndrome disorders (FASD) are more commonly referred to. FASD is preventable but has devastating consequences for cognitive, behavioural and psychosocial functioning (McGee et al, 2008) which will be discussed below. The key areas of research considered here relate to growth, cognitive status, psychiatric health, and socio-emotional functioning.
Brain pathology indicates that the area affected by PAE is the cerebellum, which has motor, cognitive and emotional functions. The vermis, between the cerebellum’s hemispheres, was found to be underdeveloped in 100% of the PAE cohort in a study of MRI findings (Autti-Ramo et. al., 2002). The authors identified that risk factors other than alcohol exposure could have caused or contributed to the same damage. However, they considered the findings relevant as “in a study by Paradiso and coworkers (1997) of normal volunteers, vermis abnormality was found to be related to IQ, verbal memory, and motor dexterity.” (Autti-Ramo et. al., 2002, p. 103). Other brain areas are cited in PAE research. McGee et. al (2008) refer to...
Brain pathology indicates that the area affected by PAE is the cerebellum, which has motor, cognitive and emotional functions. The vermis, between the cerebellum’s hemispheres, was found to be underdeveloped in 100% of the PAE cohort in a study of MRI findings (Autti-Ramo et. al., 2002). The authors identified that risk factors other than alcohol exposure could have caused or contributed to the same damage. However, they considered the findings relevant as “in a study by Paradiso and coworkers (1997) of normal volunteers, vermis abnormality was found to be related to IQ, verbal memory, and motor dexterity.” (Autti-Ramo et. al., 2002, p. 103). Other brain areas are cited in PAE research. McGee et. al (2008) refer to...