1. Association of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure With Psychological, Behavioral, and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Children From the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study
- Author
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Lees, Briana, Mewton, Louise, Jacobus, Joanna, Valadez, Emilio A, Stapinski, Lexine A, Teesson, Maree, Tapert, Susan F, and Squeglia, Lindsay M
- Subjects
Brain Disorders ,Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) ,Conditions Affecting the Embryonic and Fetal Periods ,Perinatal Period - Conditions Originating in Perinatal Period ,Substance Misuse ,Basic Behavioral and Social Science ,Neurosciences ,Pediatric ,Alcoholism ,Alcohol Use and Health ,Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) ,Clinical Research ,Pediatric Research Initiative ,Mental Health ,Behavioral and Social Science ,2.3 Psychological ,social and economic factors ,Aetiology ,Reproductive health and childbirth ,Mental health ,Good Health and Well Being ,Adult ,Brain ,Case-Control Studies ,Child ,Child Behavior ,Child Development ,Cognition ,Dose-Response Relationship ,Drug ,Ethanol ,Female ,Humans ,Magnetic Resonance Imaging ,Male ,Neuroimaging ,Neuropsychological Tests ,Pregnancy ,Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects ,Psychiatric Status Rating Scales ,Brain Development ,Child/Adolescent Psychiatry ,Prenatal Alcohol Exposure ,Psychopathology ,Medical and Health Sciences ,Psychology and Cognitive Sciences ,Psychiatry - Abstract
ObjectiveData on the neurodevelopmental and associated behavioral effects of light to moderate in utero alcohol exposure are limited. This retrospective investigation tested for associations between reported maternal prenatal alcohol use and psychological, behavioral, and neurodevelopmental outcomes in substance-naive youths.MethodsParticipants were 9,719 youths (ages 9.0 to 10.9 years) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. Based on parental reports, 2,518 (25.9%) had been exposed to alcohol in utero. Generalized additive mixed models and multilevel cross-sectional and longitudinal mediation models were used to test whether prenatal alcohol exposure was associated with psychological, behavioral, and cognitive outcomes, and whether differences in brain structure and resting-state functional connectivity partially explained these associations at baseline and 1-year follow-up, after controlling for possible confounding factors.ResultsPrenatal alcohol exposure of any severity was associated with greater psychopathology, attention deficits, and impulsiveness, with some effects showing a dose-dependent response. Children with prenatal alcohol exposure, compared with those without, displayed greater cerebral and regional volume and greater regional surface area. Resting-state functional connectivity was largely unaltered in children with in utero exposure. Some of the psychological and behavioral outcomes at baseline and at the 1-year follow-up were partially explained by differences in brain structure among youths who had been exposed to alcohol in utero.ConclusionsAny alcohol use during pregnancy is associated with subtle yet significant psychological and behavioral effects in children. Women should continue to be advised to abstain from alcohol consumption from conception throughout pregnancy.
- Published
- 2020