Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can produce a variety of central nervous system (CNS) abnormalities in the offspring resulting in a broad spectrum of cognitive and behavioral impairments that constitute the most severe and long-lasting effects observed in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). Alcohol-induced abnormalities in glial cells have been suspected of contributing to the adverse...

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are increasingly recognised throughout Australia as important, but preventable, disorders that result in lifelong problems with health and learning, mental health, behaviour and substance misuse. The role of this article is to highlight current efforts, which are in their infancy, to recognise and prevent FASD in Australia. A federal parliamentary inquiry...

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) is caused by maternal drinking during pregnancy. Pre-natal drinking has a range of deleterious effects including physical, mental and behavioural consequences for the affected child. Although FASD is completely preventable, it is irreversible with consequences that last into adulthood. The range of effects of FASD forms a spectrum with fully developed FAS...

An extensive body of literature has documented executive function (EF) impairments in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD); however, few studies have aimed specifically at improving EF. One treatment program that shows promise for children with FASD is the Alert Program for Self-Regulation®, which is a 12-week treatment specifically designed to target self-regulation, a compone...

During the last 20 years, new and exciting roles for glial cells in brain development have been described. Moreover, several recent studies implicated glial cells in the pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental disorders including Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, Rett Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorders, and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). Abnormalities in glial cell development and prolif...

The concept Fetal Alcohol Syndrome [3] (FAS) refers to a set of birth defects [4] that occur in children born to mothers who abused alcohol during pregnancy [5]. The alcohol-induced defects include preand post-natal growth deficiencies, minor facial abnormalities, and damage to the developing central nervous system [6] (CNS). FAS is the most serious condition physicians group under the heading ...

BACKGROUND Exposure to alcohol during gestation is associated with CNS alterations, cognitive deficits, and behavior problems. This study investigated microstructural aspects of putative white matter abnormalities following prenatal alcohol exposure. METHODS Diffusion tensor imaging was used to assess white matter microstructure in 27 youth (age range: 8 to 18 years) with (n = 15) and without...

Ethanol-induced neuro-developmental abnormalities are associated with impaired insulin and IGF signaling, and increased oxidative stress in CNS neurons. We examined the roles of ethanol and its principal toxic metabolite, acetaldehyde, as mediators of impaired insulin/IGF signaling and oxidative injury in immature cerebellar neurons. Cultures were exposed to 3.5mM acetaldehyde or 50mM ethanol ±...

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) affect an estimated 2% to 5% of children in the United States.1 Persons with FASDs have lifelong behavioral, intellectual, and physical disabilities that are solely the result of maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Through its Vital Signs report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently highlighted the preventable burden o...

BACKGROUND Theory of mind (ToM) refers to the ability to understand and make inferences about other people's intentions, feelings, and beliefs. Although children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are known to have deficits in social-cognitive function, little is known about ToM in FASD. METHODS ToM ability was assessed using a developmentally sensitive ToM battery, including the re...