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Bischoff-Grethe A, Stoner SA, Riley EP, Moore EM. Subcortical volume in middle-aged adults with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Brain Commun 2024; 6:fcae273. [PMID: 39229493 PMCID: PMC11369821 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcae273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2024] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 08/28/2024] [Indexed: 09/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Studies of youth and young adults with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) have most consistently reported reduced volumes of the corpus callosum, cerebellum and subcortical structures. However, it is unknown whether this continues into middle adulthood or if individuals with PAE may experience premature volumetric decline with aging. Forty-eight individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) and 28 healthy comparison participants aged 30 to 65 participated in a 3T MRI session that resulted in usable T1-weighted and T2-weighted structural images. Primary analyses included volumetric measurements of the caudate, putamen, pallidum, cerebellum and corpus callosum using FreeSurfer software. Analyses were conducted examining both raw volumetric measurements and subcortical volumes adjusted for overall intracranial volume (ICV). Models tested for main effects of age, sex and group, as well as interactions of group with age and group with sex. We found the main effects for group; all regions were significantly smaller in participants with FASD for models using raw volumes (P's < 0.001) as well as for models using volumes adjusted for ICV (P's < 0.046). Although there were no significant interactions of group with age, females with FASD had smaller corpus callosum volumes relative to both healthy comparison females and males with FASD (P's < 0.001). As seen in children and adolescents, adults aged 30 to 65 with FASD showed reduced volumes of subcortical structures relative to healthy comparison adults, suggesting persistent impact of PAE. Moreover, the observed volumetric reduction of the corpus callosum in females with FASD could suggest more rapid degeneration, which may have implications for cognition as these individuals continue to age.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Susan A Stoner
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Fetal Alcohol and Drug Unit, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington 98105, USA
| | - Edward P Riley
- Department of Psychology, Center for Behavioral Teratology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, 92120, USA
| | - Eileen M Moore
- Department of Psychology, Center for Behavioral Teratology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, 92120, USA
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2
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Yasoda-Mohan A, Vanneste S. Development, Insults and Predisposing Factors of the Brain's Predictive Coding System to Chronic Perceptual Disorders-A Life-Course Examination. Brain Sci 2024; 14:86. [PMID: 38248301 PMCID: PMC10813926 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14010086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
The predictive coding theory is currently widely accepted as the theoretical basis of perception and chronic perceptual disorders are explained as the maladaptive compensation of the brain to a prediction error. Although this gives us a general framework to work with, it is still not clear who may be more susceptible and/or vulnerable to aberrations in this system. In this paper, we study changes in predictive coding through the lens of tinnitus and pain. We take a step back to understand how the predictive coding system develops from infancy, what are the different neural and bio markers that characterise this system in the acute, transition and chronic phases and what may be the factors that pose a risk to the aberration of this system. Through this paper, we aim to identify people who may be at a higher risk of developing chronic perceptual disorders as a reflection of aberrant predictive coding, thereby giving future studies more facets to incorporate in their investigation of early markers of tinnitus, pain and other disorders of predictive coding. We therefore view this paper to encourage the thinking behind the development of preclinical biomarkers to maladaptive predictive coding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anusha Yasoda-Mohan
- Global Brain Health Institute, Trinity College Dublin, D02 R123 Dublin, Ireland;
- Trinity College Institute for Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, D02 R123 Dublin, Ireland
- Lab for Clinical & Integrative Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, D02 R123 Dublin, Ireland
| | - Sven Vanneste
- Global Brain Health Institute, Trinity College Dublin, D02 R123 Dublin, Ireland;
- Trinity College Institute for Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, D02 R123 Dublin, Ireland
- Lab for Clinical & Integrative Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, D02 R123 Dublin, Ireland
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3
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Gimbel BA, Roediger DJ, Ernst AM, Anthony ME, de Water E, Mueller BA, Rockhold MN, Schumacher MJ, Mattson SN, Jones KL, Lim KO, Wozniak JR. Delayed cortical thinning in children and adolescents with prenatal alcohol exposure. ALCOHOL, CLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 47:1312-1326. [PMID: 37132064 PMCID: PMC10851870 DOI: 10.1111/acer.15096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is associated with abnormalities in cortical structure and maturation, including cortical thickness (CT), cortical volume, and surface area. This study provides a longitudinal context for the developmental trajectory and timing of abnormal cortical maturation in PAE. METHODS We studied 35 children with PAE and 30 nonexposed typically developing children (Comparisons), aged 8-17 at enrollment, who were recruited from the University of Minnesota FASD Program. Participants were matched on age and sex. They underwent a formal evaluation of growth and dysmorphic facial features associated with PAE and completed cognitive testing. MRI data were collected on a Siemens Prisma 3T scanner. Two sessions, each including MRI scans and cognitive testing, were spaced approximately 15 months apart on average. Change in CT and performance on tests of executive function (EF) were examined. RESULTS Significant age-by-group (PAE vs. Comparison) linear interaction effects in CT were observed in the parietal, temporal, occipital, and insular cortices suggesting altered developmental trajectories in the PAE vs. Comparison groups. Results suggest a pattern of delayed cortical thinning in PAE, with the Comparison group showing more rapid thinning at younger ages and those with PAE showing accelerated thinning at older ages. Overall, children in the PAE group showed reduced cortical thinning across time relative to the Comparison participants. Symmetrized percent change (SPC) in CT in several regions was significantly correlated with EF performance at 15-month follow-up for the Comparison group but not the group with PAE. CONCLUSIONS Regional differences were seen longitudinally in the trajectory and timing of CT change in children with PAE, suggesting delayed cortical maturation and an atypical pattern of development compared with typically developing individuals. In addition, exploratory correlation analyses of SPC and EF performance suggest the presence of atypical brain-behavior relationships in PAE. The findings highlight the potential role of altered developmental timing of cortical maturation in contributing to long-term functional impairment in PAE.
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Gimbel BA, Anthony ME, Ernst AM, Roediger DJ, de Water E, Eckerle JK, Boys CJ, Radke JP, Mueller BA, Fuglestad AJ, Zeisel SH, Georgieff MK, Wozniak JR. Long-term follow-up of a randomized controlled trial of choline for neurodevelopment in fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: corpus callosum white matter microstructure and neurocognitive outcomes. J Neurodev Disord 2022; 14:59. [PMID: 36526961 PMCID: PMC9756672 DOI: 10.1186/s11689-022-09470-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a lifelong condition. Early interventions targeting core neurocognitive deficits have the potential to confer long-term neurodevelopmental benefits. Time-targeted choline supplementation is one such intervention that has been shown to provide neurodevelopmental benefits that emerge with age during childhood. We present a long-term follow-up study evaluating the neurodevelopmental effects of early choline supplementation in children with FASD approximately 7 years on average after an initial efficacy trial. METHODS The initial study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of choline vs. placebo in 2.5 to 5 year olds with FASD. Participants in this long-term follow-up study include 18 children (9 placebo; 9 choline) seen 7 years on average following initial trial completion. The mean age at follow-up was 11.0 years old. Diagnoses were 28% fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), 28% partial FAS, and 44% alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder. The follow-up included measures of executive functioning and an MRI scan. RESULTS Children who received choline had better performance on several tasks of lower-order executive function (e.g., processing speed) and showed higher white matter microstructure organization (i.e., greater axon coherence) in the splenium of the corpus callosum compared to the placebo group. CONCLUSIONS These preliminary findings, although exploratory at this stage, highlight potential long-term benefits of choline as a neurodevelopmental intervention for FASD and suggest that choline may affect white matter development, representing a potential target of choline in this population. TRIAL REGISTRATION Prior to enrollment, this trial was registered with clinicaltrials.gov ( NCT01149538 ) on June 23, 2010.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blake A. Gimbel
- grid.17635.360000000419368657University of Minnesota Twin Cities, 2025 E. River Parkway, Minneapolis, MN 55414 USA
| | - Mary E. Anthony
- grid.17635.360000000419368657University of Minnesota Twin Cities, 2025 E. River Parkway, Minneapolis, MN 55414 USA
| | - Abigail M. Ernst
- grid.17635.360000000419368657University of Minnesota Twin Cities, 2025 E. River Parkway, Minneapolis, MN 55414 USA
| | - Donovan J. Roediger
- grid.17635.360000000419368657University of Minnesota Twin Cities, 2025 E. River Parkway, Minneapolis, MN 55414 USA
| | | | - Judith K. Eckerle
- grid.17635.360000000419368657University of Minnesota Twin Cities, 2025 E. River Parkway, Minneapolis, MN 55414 USA
| | | | | | - Bryon A. Mueller
- grid.17635.360000000419368657University of Minnesota Twin Cities, 2025 E. River Parkway, Minneapolis, MN 55414 USA
| | - Anita J. Fuglestad
- grid.266865.90000 0001 2109 4358University of North Florida, Jacksonville, USA
| | - Steven H. Zeisel
- grid.410711.20000 0001 1034 1720University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA
| | - Michael K. Georgieff
- grid.17635.360000000419368657University of Minnesota Twin Cities, 2025 E. River Parkway, Minneapolis, MN 55414 USA
| | - Jeffrey R. Wozniak
- grid.17635.360000000419368657University of Minnesota Twin Cities, 2025 E. River Parkway, Minneapolis, MN 55414 USA
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Marshall AT, Bodison SC, Uban KA, Adise S, Jonker D, Charles W, Donald KA, Kan E, Ipser JC, Butler-Kruger L, Steigelmann B, Narr KL, Joshi SH, Brink LT, Odendaal HJ, Scheffler F, Stein DJ, Sowell ER. The impact of prenatal alcohol and/or tobacco exposure on brain structure in a large sample of children from a South African birth cohort. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2022; 46:1980-1992. [PMID: 36117382 PMCID: PMC11334753 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuroimaging studies have emphasized the impact of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) on brain development, traditionally in heavily exposed participants. However, less is known about how naturally occurring community patterns of PAE (including light to moderate exposure) affect brain development, particularly in consideration of commonly occurring concurrent impacts of prenatal tobacco exposure (PTE). METHODS Three hundred thirty-two children (ages 8 to 12) living in South Africa's Cape Flats townships underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging. During pregnancy, their mothers reported alcohol and tobacco use, which was used to evaluate PAE and PTE effects on their children's brain structure. Analyses involved the main effects of PAE and PTE (and their interaction) and the effects of PAE and PTE quantity on cortical thickness, surface area, and volume. RESULTS After false-discovery rate (FDR) correction, PAE was associated with thinner left parahippocampal cortices, while PTE was associated with smaller cortical surface area in the bilateral pericalcarine, left lateral orbitofrontal, right posterior cingulate, right rostral anterior cingulate, left caudal middle frontal, and right caudal anterior cingulate gyri. There were no PAE × PTE interactions nor any associations of PAE and PTE exposure on volumetrics that survived FDR correction. CONCLUSION PAE was associated with reduction in the structure of the medial temporal lobe, a brain region critical for learning and memory. PTE had stronger and broader associations, including with regions associated with executive function, reward processing, and emotional regulation, potentially reflecting continued postnatal exposure to tobacco (i.e., second-hand smoke exposure). These differential effects are discussed with respect to reduced PAE quantity in our exposed group versus prior studies within this geographical location, the deep poverty in which participants live, and the consequences of apartheid and racially and economically driven payment practices that contributed to heavy drinking in the region. Longer-term follow-up is needed to determine potential environmental and other moderators of the brain findings here and assess the extent to which they endure over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew T. Marshall
- Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Stefanie C. Bodison
- Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Kristina A. Uban
- Department of Public Health, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Shana Adise
- Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Deborah Jonker
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Psychiatry & Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Weslin Charles
- Department of Psychiatry & Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Kirsten A. Donald
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Eric Kan
- Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Jonathan C. Ipser
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Letitia Butler-Kruger
- Department of Psychiatry & Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | | | - Katherine L. Narr
- UCLA Brain Mapping Center, Department of Neurology, Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles
| | - Shantanu H. Joshi
- UCLA Brain Mapping Center, Department of Neurology, Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles
| | - Lucy T. Brink
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles
| | - Hein J. Odendaal
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Freda Scheffler
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Dan J. Stein
- Department of Psychiatry & Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Unit on Risk and Resilience in Mental Disorders, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Elizabeth R. Sowell
- Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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Aghamohammadi-Sereshki A, McMorris CA, Ben Gibbard W, Tortorelli C, Pike GB, Lebel C. Effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on neurobehavioural development and volume of rostral cingulate cortex subregions. J Psychiatry Neurosci 2022; 47:E272-E282. [PMID: 35882478 PMCID: PMC9337872 DOI: 10.1503/jpn.210198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Revised: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy can have widespread and long-lasting effects on children's cognition, behaviour, brain function and structure. The pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the anterior midcingulate cortex (MCC) mediate emotional and cognitive behaviours that are affected by prenatal alcohol exposure. However, the neurobehavioural development of the pregenual ACC and anterior MCC has not been examined in people with prenatal alcohol exposure. METHODS We recruited 30 children and adolescents with prenatal alcohol exposure and 50 age- and gender-matched unexposed controls. We acquired structural MRI data sets on a 3 T scanner. We manually delineated 2 areas of the rostral cingulate cortex - the pregenual ACC and the anterior MCC - and compared them between groups. We measured behavioural and emotional problems using the Behaviour Assessment System for Children, 2nd Edition, Parent Rating Scale, and then explored their associations with rostral cingulate cortex volumes. RESULTS Intracranial-normalized volumes of the right pregenual ACC and the right total rostral cingulate cortex were significantly smaller in individuals with prenatal alcohol exposure than in unexposed controls. The volume of the right anterior MCC had a significant positive association with scores on the Internalizing Problems scale in individuals with prenatal alcohol exposure. LIMITATIONS This study was cross-sectional, and detailed information about the timing and amount of exposure was not always available. CONCLUSION Prenatal alcohol exposure is associated with lower volumes in the right pregenual ACC. This finding may underlie some of the emotional and behavioural problems experienced by individuals with prenatal alcohol exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arash Aghamohammadi-Sereshki
- From the Department of Radiology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta. (Aghamohammadi-Sereshki, Pike, Lebel); the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Calgary, Alta. (McMorris, Gibbard, Lebel); the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta. (McMorris); the Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta. (Gibbard); the Department of Child Studies and Social Work, Mount Royal University, Calgary, Alta. (Tortorelli); the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Alta. (Pike); the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta. (Pike, Lebel)
| | - Carly A McMorris
- From the Department of Radiology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta. (Aghamohammadi-Sereshki, Pike, Lebel); the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Calgary, Alta. (McMorris, Gibbard, Lebel); the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta. (McMorris); the Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta. (Gibbard); the Department of Child Studies and Social Work, Mount Royal University, Calgary, Alta. (Tortorelli); the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Alta. (Pike); the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta. (Pike, Lebel)
| | - W Ben Gibbard
- From the Department of Radiology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta. (Aghamohammadi-Sereshki, Pike, Lebel); the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Calgary, Alta. (McMorris, Gibbard, Lebel); the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta. (McMorris); the Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta. (Gibbard); the Department of Child Studies and Social Work, Mount Royal University, Calgary, Alta. (Tortorelli); the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Alta. (Pike); the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta. (Pike, Lebel)
| | - Christina Tortorelli
- From the Department of Radiology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta. (Aghamohammadi-Sereshki, Pike, Lebel); the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Calgary, Alta. (McMorris, Gibbard, Lebel); the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta. (McMorris); the Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta. (Gibbard); the Department of Child Studies and Social Work, Mount Royal University, Calgary, Alta. (Tortorelli); the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Alta. (Pike); the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta. (Pike, Lebel)
| | - G Bruce Pike
- From the Department of Radiology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta. (Aghamohammadi-Sereshki, Pike, Lebel); the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Calgary, Alta. (McMorris, Gibbard, Lebel); the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta. (McMorris); the Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta. (Gibbard); the Department of Child Studies and Social Work, Mount Royal University, Calgary, Alta. (Tortorelli); the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Alta. (Pike); the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta. (Pike, Lebel)
| | - Catherine Lebel
- From the Department of Radiology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta. (Aghamohammadi-Sereshki, Pike, Lebel); the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Calgary, Alta. (McMorris, Gibbard, Lebel); the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta. (McMorris); the Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta. (Gibbard); the Department of Child Studies and Social Work, Mount Royal University, Calgary, Alta. (Tortorelli); the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Alta. (Pike); the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta. (Pike, Lebel)
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Marguet F, Brosolo M, Friocourt G, Sauvestre F, Marcorelles P, Lesueur C, Marret S, Gonzalez BJ, Laquerrière A. Oligodendrocyte lineage is severely affected in human alcohol-exposed foetuses. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2022; 10:74. [PMID: 35568959 PMCID: PMC9107108 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-022-01378-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Prenatal alcohol exposure is a major cause of neurobehavioral disabilities. MRI studies in humans have shown that alcohol is associated with white matter microstructural anomalies but these studies focused on myelin abnormalities only after birth. Only one of these studies evaluated oligodendrocyte lineage, but only for a short period during human foetal life. As data are lacking in humans and alcohol is known to impair oligodendrocyte differentiation in rodents, the present study aimed to compare by immunohistochemistry the oligodendrocyte precursor cells expressing PDGFR-α and immature premyelinating/mature oligodendrocytes expressing Olig2 in the ganglionic eminences and the frontal cortex of 14 human foetuses exposed to alcohol from 15 to 37 weeks' gestation with age-matched controls. The human brains used in this study were obtained at the time of foetal autopsies for medical termination of pregnancy, in utero or post-natal early death. Before birth, PDGFR-α expression was strongly increased in the ganglionic eminences and the cortex of all foetuses exposed to alcohol except at the earliest stage. No massive generation of Olig2 immunoreactive cells was identified in the ganglionic eminences until the end of pregnancy and the density of Olig2-positive cells within the cortex was consistently lower in foetuses exposed to alcohol than in controls. These antenatal data from humans provides further evidence of major oligodendrocyte lineage impairment at specific and key stages of brain development upon prenatal alcohol exposure including defective or delayed generation and maturation of oligodendrocyte precursors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florent Marguet
- Department of Pathology, Normandy Centre for Genomic and Personalized Medicine, Laboratoire d'Anatomie Pathologique, Pavillon Jacques Delarue, CHU, Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, INSERM U1245 and Rouen University Hospital, 1 Rue de Germont, 76031, Rouen Cedex, France.
| | - Mélanie Brosolo
- UNIROUEN, INSERM U1245 F76000, Normandy Centre for Genomic and Personalized Medicine, Normandie Univ, Rouen, France
| | - Gaëlle Friocourt
- Inserm UMR1078, Université de Bretagne Occidentale, Faculté de Médecine et Des Sciences de la Santé; Etablissement Français du Sang (EFS) Bretagne; Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire, CHRU Brest, Hôpital Morvan, Brest, France
| | - Fanny Sauvestre
- Department of Pathology, Bordeaux University Hospital, Bordeaux, France
| | - Pascale Marcorelles
- Pathology Laboratory, Pole Pathologie-Biologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Brest, Brest, France
- Laboratory of Neurosciences of Brest, Faculté de Médecine et des Sciences de la Santé, Brest University, Brest, France
| | - Céline Lesueur
- UNIROUEN, INSERM U1245 F76000, Normandy Centre for Genomic and Personalized Medicine, Normandie Univ, Rouen, France
| | - Stéphane Marret
- Department of Neonatal Paediatrics and Intensive Care, Normandy Centre for Genomic and Personalized Medicine, Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, INSERM U1245 and Rouen University Hospital, 76000, Rouen, France
| | - Bruno J Gonzalez
- UNIROUEN, INSERM U1245 F76000, Normandy Centre for Genomic and Personalized Medicine, Normandie Univ, Rouen, France
| | - Annie Laquerrière
- Department of Pathology, Normandy Centre for Genomic and Personalized Medicine, Laboratoire d'Anatomie Pathologique, Pavillon Jacques Delarue, CHU, Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, INSERM U1245 and Rouen University Hospital, 1 Rue de Germont, 76031, Rouen Cedex, France
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8
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Yu X, Dunstan J, Jacobson SW, Molteno CD, Lindinger NM, Turesky TK, Meintjes EM, Jacobson JL, Gaab N. Distinctive neural correlates of phonological and reading impairment in fetal alcohol-exposed adolescents with and without facial dysmorphology. Neuropsychologia 2022; 169:108188. [PMID: 35218791 PMCID: PMC9922095 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) has been linked to atypical brain and cognitive development, including poor academic performance in reading. This study utilized functional magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging to characterize functional and structural mechanisms mediating reading deficits in 26 adolescents with PAE-related facial dysmorphology (fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)/partial FAS (PFAS)), 29 heavily-exposed (HE) non-syndromal adolescents, in comparison with 19 typically developing controls. The FAS/PFAS and HE groups were balanced in terms of levels of PAE and reading (dis)ability. While neural alterations in the posterior association cortices were evident in both PAE groups, distinctive neural correlates of reading (dis)abilities were observed between adolescents with and without facial dysmorphology. Specifically, compared to the HE and control groups, the syndromal adolescents showed greater activation in the right precentral gyrus during phonological processing and rightward lateralization in an important reading-related tract (inferior longitudinal fasciculus, ILF), suggesting an atypical reliance on the right hemisphere. By contrast, in the HE, better reading skills were positively correlated with neural activation in the left angular gyrus and white matter organization of the left ILF, although the brain function-behavior relation was weaker than among the controls, suggesting less efficient function of the typical reading network. Our findings provide converging evidence at both the neural functional and structural levels for distinctive brain mechanisms underlying atypical reading and phonological processing in PAE adolescents with and without facial dysmorphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China; Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, MA, 02115, USA.
| | - Jade Dunstan
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Sandra W Jacobson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 7701, South Africa; Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 7701, South Africa
| | - Christopher D Molteno
- Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 7701, South Africa
| | - Nadine M Lindinger
- Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 7701, South Africa
| | - Ted K Turesky
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, MA, 02115, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Ernesta M Meintjes
- Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 7701, South Africa
| | - Joseph L Jacobson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA; Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 7701, South Africa.
| | - Nadine Gaab
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, MA, 02115, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
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9
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Abstract
IMPORTANCE High levels of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) are associated with widespread behavioral and cognitive problems as well as structural alterations of the brain. However, it remains unclear whether low levels of PAE affect brain structure and function, and prior studies generally have not had well-matched control populations (eg, for sociodemographic variables). OBJECTIVE To compare structural brain alterations and behavioral changes in children with lower levels of PAE with those of well-matched controls with no PAE. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In this cross-sectional study, participants were selected from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study. Children with PAE were compared with controls matched for age, sex, family income, maternal educational level, and caregiver status. Neither group had prenatal exposure to other adverse substances (eg, tobacco, cannabis, illicit drugs). Data were collected from September 1, 2016, to November 15, 2018, and analyzed from October 14, 2020, to February 14, 2022. EXPOSURES Diffusion tensor imaging, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) administration. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Fractional anisotropy (FA); mean, axial, and radial diffusivity from diffusion tensor imaging; brain functional signal variations from functional MRI; and several scores, including internalizing and externalizing behavior problems, from the CBCL. Spearman correlation coefficients between diffusion tensor imaging and functional MRI measures and the CBCL scores were calculated. RESULTS A total of 270 children were included in the analysis (mean [SD] age, 9.86 [0.46] years; 141 female [52.2%] and 129 male [47.8%]), consisting of 135 children with PAE (mean [SD] age, 9.85 [0.65] years; 73 female [54.1%] and 62 male [45.9%]) (mean exposure, 1 drink/wk) and 135 unexposed controls (mean [SD] age, 9.87 [0.04] years; 68 female [50.4%] and 67 male [49.6%]). Children with PAE had lower mean (SD) FA in white matter of the left postcentral (0.35 [0.05] vs 0.36 [0.04]; mean difference, -0.02 [95% CI, -0.03 to -0.01]), left inferior parietal (0.31 [0.07] vs 0.33 [0.06]; mean difference, -0.03 [95% CI, -0.04 to -0.01]), left planum temporale (0.26 [0.04] vs 0.28 [0.03]; mean difference, -0.02 [95% CI, -0.03 to -0.01]), left inferior occipital (0.30 [0.07] vs 0.32 [0.05]; mean difference, -0.03 [95% CI, -0.04 to -0.01]), and right middle occipital (0.30 [0.04] vs 0.31 [0.04]; mean difference, -0.01 [95% CI, -0.02 to -0.01]) areas compared with controls, and higher FA in the gray matter of the putamen (0.22 [0.03] vs 0.21 [0.02]; mean difference, 0.01 [95% CI, 0.005-0.02]). Externalizing behavior scores were higher (worse) in children with PAE than in controls (mean [SD], 45.2 [9.0] vs 42.8 [9.0]; mean difference, 2.39 [95% CI, 0.30-4.47]). Several of these regions had significant group-behavior interactions, such that the higher FA was associated with less problematic behaviors in controls (ρ range, -0.24 to -0.08) but no associations were present in the PAE group (ρ range, 0.02-0.16). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this cross-sectional study, children with low levels of PAE had lower FA and more behavioral problems compared with a well-matched control group. These results suggest that PAE, even in small amounts, has a measurable effect on brain structure in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangyu Long
- Department of Radiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Catherine Lebel
- Department of Radiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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10
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Pervin Z, Pinner J, Flynn L, Cerros CM, Williams ME, Hill DE, Stephen JM. School-aged children diagnosed with an FASD exhibit visuo-cortical network disturbance: A magnetoencephalography (MEG) study. Alcohol 2022; 99:59-69. [PMID: 34915151 PMCID: PMC9113084 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2021.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Children with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) often suffer from cognitive and neurobehavioral dysfunction throughout their lives, which may rise to a level of concern such that children receive a diagnosis under the fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) umbrella. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) contributes direct insight into neural processing and functional connectivity measures with temporal precision to understand cortical processing disorders that manifest during development. The impairment of perception may become more consequential among school-aged children with an FASD in the process of intellectual functioning and behavioral maturation. Fifty participants with the age range of 8-13 years participated in our study following parental informed consent and child assent. For each participant, visual responses were recorded using magnetoencephalography (MEG) while performing a prosaccade task with central stimuli (fovea centralis) and peripheral stimuli (left and right of central) presented on a screen, requiring participants to shift their gaze to the stimuli. After source analysis using minimum norm estimation (MNE), we investigated visual responses from each participant by measuring the latency and amplitude of visual evoked fields. Delayed peak latency of the visual response was identified in the primary visual area (calcarine fissure) and visual association areas (v2, v3) in young children with an FASD for both stimulus types (central and peripheral). But the difference in visual response latency was only statistically significant (p ≤ 0.01) for the peripheral (right) stimulus. We also observed reduced amplitude (p ≤ 0.006) of visual evoked response in children with an FASD for the central stimulus type in both primary and visual association areas. Multiple visual areas show impairment in children with an FASD, with visual delay and conduction disturbance more prominent in response to peripheral stimuli. Children with an FASD also exhibit significantly reduced amplitude of neural activation to central stimuli. These sensory deficits may lead to slow cognitive processing speed through continued intra-cortical network disturbance in children with an FASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zinia Pervin
- The Mind Research Network, a Division of Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM 87106, USA.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - John Pinner
- The Mind Research Network, a Division of Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM 87106, USA
| | - Lucinda Flynn
- The Mind Research Network, a Division of Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM 87106, USA
| | - Cassandra M. Cerros
- Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Mareth E. Williams
- Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Dina E. Hill
- Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Julia M. Stephen
- The Mind Research Network, a Division of Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM 87106, USA.,Corresponding author Julia M. Stephen, Ph.D., MEG Core Director, Prof. of Translational Neuroscience, The Mind Research Network, Pete & Nancy Domenici hall, 1101 Yale Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87106, Tel: (505)-504-1053.
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11
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Prenatal and Postnatal Choline Supplementation in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. Nutrients 2022; 14:nu14030688. [PMID: 35277047 PMCID: PMC8837993 DOI: 10.3390/nu14030688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is common and represents a significant public health burden, yet very few interventions have been tested in FASD. Cognitive deficits are core features of FASD, ranging from broad intellectual impairment to selective problems in attention, executive functioning, memory, visual–perceptual/motor skills, social cognition, and academics. One potential intervention for the cognitive impairments associated with FASD is the essential nutrient choline, which is known to have numerous direct effects on brain and cognition in both typical and atypical development. We provide a summary of the literature supporting the use of choline as a neurodevelopmental intervention in those affected by prenatal alcohol. We first discuss how alcohol interferes with normal brain development. We then provide a comprehensive overview of the nutrient choline and discuss its role in typical brain development and its application in the optimization of brain development following early insult. Next, we review the preclinical literature that provides evidence of choline’s potential as an intervention following alcohol exposure. Then, we review a handful of existing human studies of choline supplementation in FASD. Lastly, we conclude with a review of practical considerations in choline supplementation, including dose, formulation, and feasibility in children.
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12
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Brown J, Jonason A, Asp E, McGinn V, Carter MN, Spiller V, Jozan A. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and confabulation in psycholegal settings: A beginner's guide for criminal justice, forensic mental health, and legal interviewers. BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES & THE LAW 2022; 40:46-86. [PMID: 34689366 DOI: 10.1002/bsl.2540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Revised: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are neurodevelopmental/neurobehavioral conditions caused by prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). Impairments caused by PAE contribute to the over-representation of individuals with FASD in the United States juvenile and adult criminal justice systems. These same impairments can equally impact on individuals with FASD who are witnesses to or victims of crime who also have to navigate the complexities of the criminal justice system. Difficulties include increased susceptibility to confabulation throughout the legal process that, in turn, can contribute to increased rates of poor outcomes including false confessions and wrongful convictions. Individuals with FASD are particularity at risk of confabulation when they are subjected to tactics, such as stressful and anxiety-provoking situations, threats, and leading, suggestive, or coercive questioning. Many professionals in the forensic context are unfamiliar with FASD or related confabulation risk and may unintentionally utilize tactics that intensify impacts of pre-existing impairment. This article serves as a beginner's guide for professionals working in criminal justice settings by (a) providing research-based overviews of FASD and confabulation, (b) describing how FASD may lead to confabulation, and (c) suggesting ways that professionals can modify protocols when interacting with individuals with FASD. Suggestions in this article hold the potential to decrease the risk of confabulation in the criminal justice system and decrease problematic outcomes, such as false confessions and wrongful convictions among individuals with FASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerrod Brown
- Pathways Counseling Center, Inc., St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
- Concordia University, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
- American Institute for the Advancement of Forensic Studies, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Alec Jonason
- Department of Psychology, Hamline University, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
- Wesley & Lorene Artz Cognitive Neuroscience Research Center, Hamline University, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Erik Asp
- Department of Psychology, Hamline University, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
- Wesley & Lorene Artz Cognitive Neuroscience Research Center, Hamline University, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Valerie McGinn
- The FASD Centre, Auckland, New Zealand
- School of Population Health, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Megan N Carter
- University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Department of Social and Health Services, Special Commitment Center, Steilacoom, Washington, USA
| | | | - Amy Jozan
- American Institute for the Advancement of Forensic Studies, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
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13
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Moore EM, Xia Y. Neurodevelopmental Trajectories Following Prenatal Alcohol Exposure. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 15:695855. [PMID: 35058760 PMCID: PMC8763806 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.695855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) interferes with neurodevelopment. The brain is particularly susceptible to the adverse consequences of prenatal alcohol exposure, and numerous studies have documented changes to brain anatomy and function, as well as consequences for cognition, behavior, and mental health. Studies in typically developing individuals have shown that the brain undergoes dynamic developmental processes over an individual’s lifespan. Furthermore, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies in other neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders have shown that their developmental trajectories differ from the typical pattern. Therefore, to understand long-term clinical outcomes of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), it is necessary to investigate changes in neurodevelopmental trajectories in this population. Here we review studies that have used MRI to evaluate changes in brain structure and function over time via cross-sectional or longitudinal methods in individuals with PAE. Research demonstrates that individuals with PAE have atypical cortical and white matter microstructural developmental trajectories through childhood and adolescence. More research is needed to understand how factors such as sex and postnatal experiences may further mediate these trajectories. Furthermore, nothing is known about the trajectories beyond young adulthood.
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14
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Airapetov MI, Eresko SO, Bychkov ER, Lebedev AA, Shabanov PD. [Prenatal exposure to alcohol alters TLR4 signaling in the prefrontal cortex in rats]. BIOMEDITSINSKAIA KHIMIIA 2021; 67:500-506. [PMID: 34964444 DOI: 10.18097/pbmc20216706500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can lead to developmental disorders of the central nervous system (CNS) and mental retardation. Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 plays an important role in the development of defects in the nervous system caused by PAE. However, how PAE affects the TLR4 response in the brain remains unclear. Using the model of semi-forced alcoholization of pregnant rats, we investigated TLR4-mediated signaling on the 30th day of postnatal development in their offspring. Rats exposed to PAE showed a higher expression of proinflammatory cytokines in the prefrontal cortex, but TLR4-mediated signaling in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was weakened. These data suggest that PAE can lead to neuroinflammation and suppression of the TLR4-mediated response to LPS in the prefrontal cortex of young rats. Since innate immunity plays an important role in brain development, PAE-induced suppression of the TLR4-mediated response may be one of the mechanisms for the development of CNS pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- M I Airapetov
- Institute of Experimental Medicine, Saint Petersburg, Russia; Saint Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University, Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - S O Eresko
- Institute of Experimental Medicine, Saint Petersburg, Russia; Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - E R Bychkov
- Institute of Experimental Medicine, Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - A A Lebedev
- Institute of Experimental Medicine, Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - P D Shabanov
- Institute of Experimental Medicine, Saint Petersburg, Russia; Kirov Military Medical Academy, Saint Petersburg, Russia
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15
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Smith CC, Sheedy DL, McEwen HP, Don AS, Kril JJ, Sutherland GT. Lipidome changes in alcohol-related brain damage. J Neurochem 2021; 160:271-282. [PMID: 34699608 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol-related brain injury is characterized by cognitive deficits and brain atrophy with the prefrontal cortex particularly susceptible. White matter in the human brain is lipid rich and a major target of damage from chronic alcohol abuse; yet, there is sparse information on how these lipids are affected. Here, we used untargeted lipidomics as a discovery tool to describe these changes in the prefrontal, middle temporal, and visual cortices of human subjects with alcohol use disorder and controls. Significant changes to the lipidome, predominantly in the prefrontal and visual cortices, and differences between the white and grey matter of each brain region were identified. These effects include broad decreases to phospholipids and ceramide, decreased polyunsaturated fatty acids, decreased sphingadiene backbones, and selective decreases in cholesteryl ester fatty acid chains. Our findings show that chronic alcohol abuse results in selective changes to the neurolipidome, which likely reflects both the directs effects on the brain and concurrent effects on the liver.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caine C Smith
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, School of Medical Sciences and Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Donna L Sheedy
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, School of Medical Sciences and Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Holly P McEwen
- Centenery Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Anthony S Don
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, School of Medical Sciences and Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Centenery Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Jillian J Kril
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, School of Medical Sciences and Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Greg T Sutherland
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, School of Medical Sciences and Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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16
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Sininger YS, Condon CG, Gimenez LA, Shuffrey LC, Myers MM, Elliott AJ, Thai T, Nugent JD, Pini N, Sania A, Odendaal HJ, Angal J, Tobacco D, Hoffman HJ, Simmons DD, Fifer WP. Prenatal Exposure to Tobacco and Alcohol Alters Development of the Neonatal Auditory System. Dev Neurosci 2021; 43:358-375. [PMID: 34348289 DOI: 10.1159/000518130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Prenatal exposures to alcohol (PAE) and tobacco (PTE) are known to produce adverse neonatal and childhood outcomes including damage to the developing auditory system. Knowledge of the timing, extent, and combinations of these exposures on effects on the developing system is limited. As part of the physiological measurements from the Safe Passage Study, Auditory Brainstem Responses (ABRs) and Transient Otoacoustic Emissions (TEOAEs) were acquired on infants at birth and one-month of age. Research sites were in South Africa and the Northern Plains of the U.S. Prenatal information on alcohol and tobacco exposure was gathered prospectively on mother/infant dyads. Cluster analysis was used to characterize three levels of PAE and three levels of PTE. Repeated-measures ANOVAs were conducted for newborn and one-month-old infants for ABR peak latencies and amplitudes and TEOAE levels and signal-to-noise ratios. Analyses controlled for hours of life at test, gestational age at birth, sex, site, and other exposure. Significant main effects of PTE included reduced newborn ABR latencies from both ears. PTE also resulted in a significant reduction of ABR peak amplitudes elicited in infants at 1-month of age. PAE led to a reduction of TEOAE amplitude for 1-month-old infants but only in the left ear. Results indicate that PAE and PTE lead to early disruption of peripheral, brainstem, and cortical development and neuronal pathways of the auditory system, including the olivocochlear pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvonne S Sininger
- Department of Head & Neck Surgery, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
- C&Y Consultants, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
| | - Carmen G Condon
- Division of Developmental Neuroscience, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA
| | - Lissete A Gimenez
- Division of Developmental Neuroscience, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA
| | - Lauren C Shuffrey
- Division of Developmental Neuroscience, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Michael M Myers
- Division of Developmental Neuroscience, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Amy J Elliott
- Center for Pediatric & Community Research, Avera Research Institute, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of South Dakota School of Medicine, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA
| | - Tracy Thai
- Division of Developmental Neuroscience, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA
| | - James D Nugent
- Division of Developmental Neuroscience, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Nicolò Pini
- Division of Developmental Neuroscience, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Ayesha Sania
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Hein J Odendaal
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Jyoti Angal
- Center for Pediatric & Community Research, Avera Research Institute, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of South Dakota School of Medicine, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA
| | - Deborah Tobacco
- Center for Pediatric & Community Research, Avera Research Institute, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of South Dakota School of Medicine, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA
| | - Howard J Hoffman
- Epidemiology and Statistics Program, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | | | - William P Fifer
- Division of Developmental Neuroscience, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
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17
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Chivero ET, Dagur RS, Peeples ES, Sil S, Liao K, Ma R, Chen L, Gurumurthy CB, Buch S, Hu G. Biogenesis, physiological functions and potential applications of extracellular vesicles in substance use disorders. Cell Mol Life Sci 2021; 78:4849-4865. [PMID: 33821293 PMCID: PMC10563196 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-021-03824-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Revised: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Substance use disorder (SUD) is a growing health problem that affects several millions of people worldwide, resulting in negative socioeconomic impacts and increased health care costs. Emerging evidence suggests that extracellular vesicles (EVs) play a crucial role in SUD pathogenesis. EVs, including exosomes and microvesicles, are membrane-encapsulated particles that are released into the extracellular space by most types of cells. EVs are important players in mediating cell-to-cell communication through transfer of cargo such as proteins, lipids and nucleic acids. The EV cargo can alter the status of recipient cells, thereby contributing to both physiological and pathological processes; some of these play critical roles in SUD. Although the functions of EVs under several pathological conditions have been extensively reviewed, EV functions and potential applications in SUD remain less studied. In this review, we provide an overview of the current knowledge of the role of EVs in SUD, including alcohol, cocaine, heroin, marijuana, nicotine and opiate abuse. The review will focus on the biogenesis and cargo composition of EVs as well as the potential use of EVs as biomarkers of SUD or therapeutic targets in SUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ernest T Chivero
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-5880, USA.
| | - Raghubendra Singh Dagur
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, NE, 68105, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68105, USA
| | - Eric S Peeples
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Susmita Sil
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-5880, USA
| | - Ke Liao
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-5880, USA
- Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Smidt Heart Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Rong Ma
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-5880, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Liang Chen
- Department of Computer Science, College of Engineering, Shantou University, Shantou, Guangdong, China
- Key Laboratory of Intelligent Manufacturing Technology, Ministry of Education, Shantou University, Shantou, Guangdong, China
| | - Channabasavaiah B Gurumurthy
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-5880, USA
| | - Shilpa Buch
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-5880, USA
| | - Guoku Hu
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-5880, USA.
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18
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Kable JA, Coles CD, Jones KL, Yevtushok L, Kulikovsky Y, Zymak-Zakutnya N, Dubchak I, Akhmedzhanova D, Wertelecki W, Chambers CD. Infant Cardiac Orienting Responses Predict Later FASD in the Preschool Period. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2021; 45:386-394. [PMID: 33277942 PMCID: PMC7887046 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) has been identified as one of the leading preventable causes of developmental disabilities, but early identification of those impacted has been challenging. This study evaluated the use of infant cardiac orienting responses (CORs), which assess neurophysiological encoding of environmental events and are sensitive to the impact of PAE, to predict later fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) status. METHODS Mother-infant dyads from Ukraine were recruited during pregnancy based on the mother's use of alcohol. Participants (n = 120) were then seen at 6 and 12 months when CORs were collected and in the preschool period when they were categorized as having (i) fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), (ii) partial FAS (pFAS), (iii) alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND), (iv) PAE and no diagnosis, or (v) no PAE and no diagnosis. To assess CORs, stimuli (auditory tones and pictures) were presented using a fixed-trial habituation/dishabituation paradigm. Heart rate (HR) responses were aggregated across the first 3 habituation and dishabituation trials and converted to z-scores relative to the sample's mean response at each second by stimuli. Z-scores greater than 1 were then counted by condition (habituation or dishabituation) to compute a total risk index. RESULTS Significant group differences were found on total deviation scores of the CORs elicited from visual but not auditory stimuli. Those categorized as pFAS/FAS had significantly higher total deviation scores than did those categorized as ARND or as having no alcohol-related diagnosis with or without a history of PAE. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of the visual response yielded an area under the curve value of 0.765 for predicting to pFAS/FAS status. CONCLUSIONS A score reflecting total deviation from typical HR during CORs elicited using visual stimuli in infancy may be useful in identifying individuals who need early intervention as a result of their PAE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie A Kable
- From the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science (JAK, CDC), Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Department of and Pediatrics (JAK, CDC), Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Claire D Coles
- From the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science (JAK, CDC), Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Department of and Pediatrics (JAK, CDC), Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Kenneth L Jones
- Department of Pediatrics (KLJ, WW, ChDC), University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- Department of Family Medicine and Public Health (KLJ, ChDC), University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Lyubov Yevtushok
- OMNI-Net Ukraine Birth Defects Program (LY, YK, NZ-Z, ID, DA, WW), Rivne, Ukraine
- Rivne Regional Medical Diagnostic Center (LY, YK), Rivne, Ukraine
- Lviv National Medical University (LY), Lviv, Ukraine
| | - Yaroslav Kulikovsky
- OMNI-Net Ukraine Birth Defects Program (LY, YK, NZ-Z, ID, DA, WW), Rivne, Ukraine
- Rivne Regional Medical Diagnostic Center (LY, YK), Rivne, Ukraine
| | - Natalya Zymak-Zakutnya
- OMNI-Net Ukraine Birth Defects Program (LY, YK, NZ-Z, ID, DA, WW), Rivne, Ukraine
- Khmelnytsky Perinatal Center (NZ-Z, ID, DA), Khmelnytsky, Ukraine
| | - Iryna Dubchak
- OMNI-Net Ukraine Birth Defects Program (LY, YK, NZ-Z, ID, DA, WW), Rivne, Ukraine
- Khmelnytsky Perinatal Center (NZ-Z, ID, DA), Khmelnytsky, Ukraine
| | - Diana Akhmedzhanova
- OMNI-Net Ukraine Birth Defects Program (LY, YK, NZ-Z, ID, DA, WW), Rivne, Ukraine
- Khmelnytsky Perinatal Center (NZ-Z, ID, DA), Khmelnytsky, Ukraine
| | - Wladimir Wertelecki
- Department of Pediatrics (KLJ, WW, ChDC), University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- OMNI-Net Ukraine Birth Defects Program (LY, YK, NZ-Z, ID, DA, WW), Rivne, Ukraine
| | - Christina D Chambers
- Department of Pediatrics (KLJ, WW, ChDC), University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- Department of Family Medicine and Public Health (KLJ, ChDC), University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
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19
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Stanton ME, Murawski NJ, Jablonski SA, Robinson-Drummer PA, Heroux NA. Mechanisms of context conditioning in the developing rat. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2021; 179:107388. [PMID: 33482320 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2021.107388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2020] [Revised: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The article reviews our studies of contextual fear conditioning (CFC) in rats during a period of development---Postnatal Day (PND) 17-33---that represents the late-infant, juvenile, and early-adolescent stages. These studies seek to acquire 'systems level' knowledge of brain and memory development and apply it to a rodent model of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). This rodent model focuses on alcohol exposure from PND4-9, a period of brain development equivalent to the human third trimester, when neocortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum are especially vulnerable to adverse effects of alcohol. Our research emphasizes a variant of CFC, termed the Context Preexposure Facilitation Effect (CPFE, Fanselow, 1990), in which context representations incidentally learned on one occasion are retrieved and associated with immediate shock on a subsequent occasion. These representations can be encoded at the earliest developmental stage but seem not to be retained or retrieved until the juvenile period. This is associated with developmental differences in context-elicited expression, in prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala, of immediate early genes (IEGs) that are implicated in long-term memory. Loss-of-function studies establish a functional role for these regions as soon as the CPFE emerges during ontogeny. In our rodent model of FASD, the CPFE is much more sensitive to alcohol dose than other commonly used cognitive tasks. This impairment can be reversed by acute administration during behavioral testing of drugs that enhance cholinergic function. This effect is associated with normalized IEG expression in prefrontal cortex during incidental context learning. In summary, our findings suggest that long-term memory of incidentally-learned context representations depends on prefrontal-hippocampal circuitry that is important both for the normative development of context conditioning and for its disruption by developmental alcohol exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark E Stanton
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, United States.
| | - Nathen J Murawski
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, United States
| | - Sarah A Jablonski
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, United States
| | | | - Nicholas A Heroux
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, United States
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20
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Maurage P, Bollen Z, Masson N, D'Hondt F. A review of studies exploring fetal alcohol spectrum disorders through eye tracking measures. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2020; 103:109980. [PMID: 32470497 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.109980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2019] [Revised: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 05/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The widespread cognitive and cerebral consequences of prenatal alcohol exposure have been established during the last decades, through the exploration of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) using neuropsychological and neuroscience tools. This research field has recently benefited from the emergence of innovative measures, among which eye tracking, allowing a precise measure of the eye movements indexing a large range of cognitive functions. We propose a comprehensive review, based on PRISMA guidelines, of the eye tracking studies performed in populations with FASD. Studies were selected from the PsycINFO, PubMed and Scopus databases, and were evaluated through a standardized methodological quality assessment. Studies were classified according to the eye tracking indexes recorded (saccade characteristics, initial fixation, number of fixations, dwell time, gaze pattern) and the process measured (perception, memory, executive functions). Eye tracking data showed that FASD are mostly associated with impaired ocular perceptive/motor abilities (i.e., altered eye movements, centrally for saccade initiation), lower accuracy as well as increased error rates in saccadic eye movements involving working memory abilities, and reduced inhibitory control on saccades. After identifying the main limitations presented by the reviewed studies, we propose guidelines for future research, underlining the need to increase the standardization of diagnosis and evaluation tools, and to improve the methodological quality of eye tracking measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Maurage
- Louvain for Experimental Psychopathology Research Group, Psychological Sciences Research Institute, UCLouvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
| | - Zoé Bollen
- Louvain for Experimental Psychopathology Research Group, Psychological Sciences Research Institute, UCLouvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
| | - Nicolas Masson
- Numerical Cognition Group, Psychological Sciences Research Institute and Neuroscience Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
| | - Fabien D'Hondt
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, U1172 - Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, Lille, France; CHU Lille, Clinique de Psychiatrie, Unité CURE, Lille, France; Centre National de Ressources et de Résilience Lille-Paris (CN2R), Lille, France.
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21
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Lewis CE, Thomas KGF, Ofen N, Warton CMR, Robertson F, Lindinger NM, Molteno CD, Meintjes EM, Jacobson JL, Jacobson SW. An fMRI investigation of neural activation predicting memory formation in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2020; 30:102532. [PMID: 33636539 PMCID: PMC7918676 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2020.102532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Revised: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Expected brain regions activated during memory formation in FASD and Control children. Prenatal alcohol predicted differences in brain activations during memory formation. More extensive neural activation during successful memory formation in FAS/PFAS group.
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is associated with physical anomalies, growth restriction, and a range of neurobehavioral deficits. Although declarative memory impairment has been documented extensively in individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), this cognitive process has been examined in only one functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, and mechanisms underlying this impairment are not well understood. We used an event-related fMRI design to examine neural activations during visual scene encoding that predict subsequent scene memory in 51 right-handed children (age range = 10–14 years, M = 11.3, SD = 1.3) whose mothers had been recruited and interviewed prospectively about their alcohol use during pregnancy. Following examination by expert dysmorphologists, children were assigned to one of three FASD diagnostic groups: FAS/PFAS (nFAS = 7; nPFAS = 4), nonsyndromal heavily exposed (HE; n = 14), and Controls (n = 26). Subsequent memory was assessed in a post-scan recognition test, and subsequent memory activations were examined by contrasting activations during encoding of scenes that were subsequently remembered (hits) to those for incorrectly judged as ‘new’ (misses). Recognition accuracy did not differ between groups. Pooled across groups, we observed extensive bilateral subsequent memory effects in regions including the hippocampal formation, posterior parietal cortex, and occipital cortex—a pattern consistent with previous similar studies of typically developing children. Critically, in the group of children with FAS or PFAS, we observed activations in several additional regions compared to HE and Control groups. Given the absence of between-group differences in recognition accuracy, these data suggest that in achieving similar memory compared to children in the HE and Control groups, children with FAS and PFAS recruit more extensive neural resources to achieve successful memory formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine E Lewis
- ACSENT Laboratory, University of Cape Town, Faculty of Humanities, Department of Psychology, Cape Town, South Africa; Child Development Research Laboratory, University of Cape Town, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Human Biology, Cape Town, South Africa.
| | - Kevin G F Thomas
- ACSENT Laboratory, University of Cape Town, Faculty of Humanities, Department of Psychology, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Noa Ofen
- Life-Span Cognitive Neuroscience Program, Institute of Gerontology, Wayne State University, Department of Psychology, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Christopher M R Warton
- Child Development Research Laboratory, University of Cape Town, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Human Biology, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Frances Robertson
- MRC/UCT Medical Imaging Research Unit, University of Cape Town, Division of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Human Biology, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Nadine M Lindinger
- ACSENT Laboratory, University of Cape Town, Faculty of Humanities, Department of Psychology, Cape Town, South Africa; Child Development Research Laboratory, University of Cape Town, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Human Biology, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Christopher D Molteno
- Child Development Research Laboratory, University of Cape Town, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Ernesta M Meintjes
- MRC/UCT Medical Imaging Research Unit, University of Cape Town, Division of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Human Biology, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Joseph L Jacobson
- Child Development Research Laboratory, University of Cape Town, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Human Biology, Cape Town, South Africa; Child Development Research Laboratory, University of Cape Town, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Cape Town, South Africa; Child Development Research Laboratory, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Sandra W Jacobson
- Child Development Research Laboratory, University of Cape Town, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Human Biology, Cape Town, South Africa; Child Development Research Laboratory, University of Cape Town, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Cape Town, South Africa; Child Development Research Laboratory, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Detroit, MI, USA.
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22
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Gomes AR, Sangani NB, Fernandes TG, Diogo MM, Curfs LMG, Reutelingsperger CP. Extracellular Vesicles in CNS Developmental Disorders. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E9428. [PMID: 33322331 PMCID: PMC7763819 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21249428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Revised: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The central nervous system (CNS) is the most complex structure in the body, consisting of multiple cell types with distinct morphology and function. Development of the neuronal circuit and its function rely on a continuous crosstalk between neurons and non-neural cells. It has been widely accepted that extracellular vesicles (EVs), mainly exosomes, are effective entities responsible for intercellular CNS communication. They contain membrane and cytoplasmic proteins, lipids, non-coding RNAs, microRNAs and mRNAs. Their cargo modulates gene and protein expression in recipient cells. Several lines of evidence indicate that EVs play a role in modifying signal transduction with subsequent physiological changes in neurogenesis, gliogenesis, synaptogenesis and network circuit formation and activity, as well as synaptic pruning and myelination. Several studies demonstrate that neural and non-neural EVs play an important role in physiological and pathological neurodevelopment. The present review discusses the role of EVs in various neurodevelopmental disorders and the prospects of using EVs as disease biomarkers and therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Rita Gomes
- Department of Bioengineering and IBB—Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal; (A.R.G.); (T.G.F.); (M.M.D.)
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
- Department of Biochemistry, Maastricht University, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands;
- GKC-Rett Expertise Centre, Maastricht University Medical Centre, 6229 ER Maastricht, The Netherlands;
| | - Nasim Bahram Sangani
- Department of Biochemistry, Maastricht University, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands;
- GKC-Rett Expertise Centre, Maastricht University Medical Centre, 6229 ER Maastricht, The Netherlands;
| | - Tiago G. Fernandes
- Department of Bioengineering and IBB—Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal; (A.R.G.); (T.G.F.); (M.M.D.)
| | - M. Margarida Diogo
- Department of Bioengineering and IBB—Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal; (A.R.G.); (T.G.F.); (M.M.D.)
| | - Leopold M. G. Curfs
- GKC-Rett Expertise Centre, Maastricht University Medical Centre, 6229 ER Maastricht, The Netherlands;
| | - Chris P. Reutelingsperger
- Department of Biochemistry, Maastricht University, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands;
- GKC-Rett Expertise Centre, Maastricht University Medical Centre, 6229 ER Maastricht, The Netherlands;
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23
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Moore EM, Glass L, Infante MA, Coles CD, Kable JA, Jones KL, Riley EP, Mattson SN. Cross-Sectional Analysis of Spatial Working Memory Development in Children with Histories of Heavy Prenatal Alcohol Exposure. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2020; 45:215-223. [PMID: 33190244 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Revised: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In children with prenatal alcohol exposure, spatial working memory is affected and brain regions important for spatial working memory performance exhibit atypical neurodevelopment. We therefore hypothesized that children with prenatal alcohol exposure may also have atypical development of spatial working memory ability. METHODS We examined the relation between spatial working memory and age using a cross-sectional developmental trajectory approach in youth with and without histories of heavy prenatal alcohol exposure. The Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery Spatial Working Memory subtest was administered to children 5.0 to 16.9 years old. RESULTS While the controls and children with prenatal alcohol exposure showed similar performance at younger ages, larger group differences were observed in older children. This effect was replicated in a separate sample. CONCLUSIONS The atypical brain development that has previously been reported in children with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure may have clinically relevant implications for cognitive development; however, longitudinal cognitive analyses are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eileen M Moore
- From the, Department of Psychology, (EMM, LG, MAI, EPR, SNM), Center for Behavioral Teratology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California
| | - Leila Glass
- From the, Department of Psychology, (EMM, LG, MAI, EPR, SNM), Center for Behavioral Teratology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California.,Los Angeles Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, (LG), University of California, Los Angeles, California
| | - M Alejandra Infante
- From the, Department of Psychology, (EMM, LG, MAI, EPR, SNM), Center for Behavioral Teratology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California.,Department of Psychiatry, (MAI), University of California, San Diego, San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Claire D Coles
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, (CDC), Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.,Department of Pediatrics, (CDC, JAK), Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Julie A Kable
- Department of Pediatrics, (CDC, JAK), Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Kenneth L Jones
- Department of Pediatrics, (KLJ), School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Edward P Riley
- From the, Department of Psychology, (EMM, LG, MAI, EPR, SNM), Center for Behavioral Teratology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California
| | - Sarah N Mattson
- From the, Department of Psychology, (EMM, LG, MAI, EPR, SNM), Center for Behavioral Teratology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California
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24
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Wagner JC, Tergeist M, Kruse B, Sappok T. [Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in adults]. DER NERVENARZT 2020; 91:1069-1079. [PMID: 33104818 DOI: 10.1007/s00115-020-01015-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are a common cause of a congenital developmental disability acquired in the womb due to alcohol consumption by the mother during pregnancy. The physical and mental consequences persist into adulthood. The 4‑digit code is an evidence-based method for diagnosing the full spectrum of outcomes, i.e. the full picture of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), partial fetal alcohol syndrome (pFAS), alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND) and alcohol-related birth defects (ARBD). The four key diagnostic features are (1) growth disorder, (2) facial dysmorphia, (3) central nervous system (CNS) structural and functional abnormalities and (4) prenatal alcohol exposure. Even if the disorder cannot be cured, supportive therapeutic interventions can improve the quality of life and independence and psychiatric comorbidities can be treated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Christine Wagner
- Behandlungszentrum für psychische Gesundheit bei Entwicklungsstörungen, Evangelisches Krankenhaus Königin Elisabeth Herzberge, Herzbergstr. 79, 10365, Berlin, Deutschland.
| | - Marlene Tergeist
- Behandlungszentrum für psychische Gesundheit bei Entwicklungsstörungen, Evangelisches Krankenhaus Königin Elisabeth Herzberge, Herzbergstr. 79, 10365, Berlin, Deutschland
| | - Björn Kruse
- Behandlungszentrum für psychische Gesundheit bei Entwicklungsstörungen, Evangelisches Krankenhaus Königin Elisabeth Herzberge, Herzbergstr. 79, 10365, Berlin, Deutschland
| | - Tanja Sappok
- Behandlungszentrum für psychische Gesundheit bei Entwicklungsstörungen, Evangelisches Krankenhaus Königin Elisabeth Herzberge, Herzbergstr. 79, 10365, Berlin, Deutschland
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25
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Oei JL. Alcohol use in pregnancy and its impact on the mother and child. Addiction 2020; 115:2148-2163. [PMID: 32149441 DOI: 10.1111/add.15036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Revised: 01/23/2020] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
AIMS To review the impact of prenatal alcohol exposure on the outcomes of the mother and child. DESIGN Narrative review. SETTING Review of literature. PARTICIPANTS Mothers and infants affected by prenatal alcohol use. MEASUREMENTS Outcomes of mothers and children. FINDINGS Prenatal alcohol exposure is one of the most important causes of preventable cognitive impairment in the world. The developing neurological system is exquisitely sensitive to harm from alcohol and there is now also substantial evidence that alcohol-related harm can extend beyond the individual person, leading to epigenetic changes and intergenerational vulnerability and disadvantage. There is no known safe level or timing of drinking for pregnant or lactating women and binge drinking (> four drinks within 2 hours for women) is the most harmful. Alcohol-exposure increases the risk of congenital problems, including Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and its most severe form, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). CONCLUSION The impact of FASD and FAS is enduring and life-long with no current treatment or cure. Emerging therapeutic options may mitigate the worst impact of alcohol exposure but significant knowledge gaps remain. This review discusses the history, epidemiology and clinical presentations of prenatal alcohol exposure, focusing on FASD and FAS, and the impact of evidence on future research, practice and policy directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ju Lee Oei
- School of Women's and Children's Health, University of New South Wales, Randwick, NSW, Australia.,Department of Newborn Care, the Royal Hospital for Women, Randwick, NSW, Australia.,Drug and Alcohol Services, Murrumbidgee Local Health District, NSW, Australia
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26
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Roozen S, Dylag KA, Przybyszewska K, Niemczyk J, von Gontard A, Peters GJY, Kok G, Curfs L. Incontinence in persons with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: a polish cohort. J Pediatr Urol 2020; 16:386.e1-386.e11. [PMID: 32222270 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpurol.2020.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2019] [Accepted: 02/18/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) is an important preventable public health concern, associated to a number of common pediatric problems such as incontinence. Little is known about the prevalence and presentation of incontinence in FASD, which hinders effective management. OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study was to investigate incontinence among people with FASD. STUDY DESIGN Parental questionnaires were sent to all eligible FASD participants. To enable comparing the observed prevalence with typically developing, non-prenatally alcohol-exposed individuals, two clinical control groups of patients undergoing immunotherapy for pollen allergy (GKA) and patients diagnosed with celiac disease (GKG) were selected. RESULTS A total of 119 participants were included in the study (FAS: n = 24, partial fetal alcohol syndrome [pFAS]: n = 19, alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder [ARND]: n = 28, GKA: n = 34, and GKG: n = 14). Overall incontinence for FASD was estimated to be 24% (confidence interval [CI] ranges from 15 to 36); nocturnal enuresis (NE) was present in 10% (CI ranges from 4 to 19), daytime urinary incontinence (DUI) in 11% (CI ranges from 5 to 21), and fecal incontinence (FI) in 13% (CI ranges from 6 to 23). Symptoms of urgency were present for 52%, voiding postponement for 10%, and straining for 2%. These data are both consistent with higher prevalence in individuals with FASD and with similar prevalence (the CIs overlap). CONCLUSION Children and adolescents with FAS, pFAS, ARND, GKA, and GKG are affected by incontinence. Highest rates were observed in pFAS and ARND. Persons with FAS were mostly affected by DUI, those with pFAS by NE, and those with ARND by FI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvia Roozen
- Governor Kremers Centre, Maastricht University Medical Centre+, the Netherlands; Department of Work and Social Psychology, Maastricht University, the Netherlands.
| | - Katarzyna Anna Dylag
- Governor Kremers Centre, Maastricht University Medical Centre+, the Netherlands; St Louis Children's Hospital, Krakow, Poland; Jagiellonian University Medical College, Faculty of Medicine, Krakow, Poland.
| | | | - Justine Niemczyk
- Governor Kremers Centre, Maastricht University Medical Centre+, the Netherlands; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Saarland University Hospital, Germany.
| | - Alexander von Gontard
- Governor Kremers Centre, Maastricht University Medical Centre+, the Netherlands; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Saarland University Hospital, Germany.
| | - Gjalt-Jorn Ygram Peters
- Governor Kremers Centre, Maastricht University Medical Centre+, the Netherlands; Faculty of Psychology, Open University of the Netherlands, Heerlen, the Netherlands.
| | - Gerjo Kok
- Governor Kremers Centre, Maastricht University Medical Centre+, the Netherlands; Department of Work and Social Psychology, Maastricht University, the Netherlands.
| | - Leopold Curfs
- Governor Kremers Centre, Maastricht University Medical Centre+, the Netherlands.
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27
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Long X, Little G, Treit S, Beaulieu C, Gong G, Lebel C. Altered brain white matter connectome in children and adolescents with prenatal alcohol exposure. Brain Struct Funct 2020; 225:1123-1133. [PMID: 32239277 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-020-02064-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2019] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Diffuson tensor imaging (DTI) has demonstrated widespread alterations of brain white matter structure in children with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE), yet it remains unclear how these alterations affect the structural brain network as a whole. The present study aimed to examine changes in the DTI-based structural connectome in children and adolescents with PAE compared to unexposed controls. Participants were 121 children and adolescents with PAE (51 females) and 119 typically-developing controls (49 females) aged 5-18 years with DTI data collected at one of four research centers across Canada. Graph-theory based analysis was performed on the connectivity matrix constructed from whole-brain white matter fibers via deterministic tractography. The PAE group had significantly decreased whole-brain global efficiency, degree centrality, and participation coefficients, as well as increased shortest path length and betweenness centrality compared to unexposed controls. Individuals with PAE had decreased connectivity between the attention, somatomotor, and default mode networks compared to controls. This study demonstrates decreased structural white matter connectivity in children and adolescents with PAE at a whole-brain level, suggesting widespread alterations in how networks are connected with each other. This decreased connectivity may underlie cognitive and behavioural difficulties in children with PAE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangyu Long
- Department of Radiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, B4-513, University of Calgary, 2888 Shaganappi Trail, Calgary, NWAB, T3B 6A8, Canada
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Graham Little
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Sarah Treit
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Christian Beaulieu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Gaolang Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Catherine Lebel
- Department of Radiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
- Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, B4-513, University of Calgary, 2888 Shaganappi Trail, Calgary, NWAB, T3B 6A8, Canada.
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
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28
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Schneble E, Lack C, Zapadka M, Pfeifer CM, Bardo DME, Cagley J, Acharya J, Klein AP, Bhalla M, Obayashi JT, Ross D, Pettersson DR, Pollock JM. Increased Notching of the Corpus Callosum in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: A Callosal Misunderstanding? AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2020; 41:725-728. [PMID: 32193189 DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.a6475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE In the medicolegal literature, notching of the corpus callosum has been reported to be associated with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Our purpose was to analyze the prevalence of notching of the corpus callosum in a fetal alcohol spectrum disorders group and a healthy population to determine whether notching occurs with increased frequency in the fetal alcohol spectrum disorders population. MATERIALS AND METHODS We performed a multicenter search for cases of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and included all patients who had a sagittal T1-weighted brain MR imaging. Patients with concomitant intracranial pathology were excluded. The corpus callosum was examined for notches using previously published methods. A χ2 test was used to compare the fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and healthy groups. RESULTS Thirty-three of 59 patients with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (0-44 years of age) identified across all centers had corpus callosum notching. Of these, 8 had an anterior corpus callosum notch (prevalence, 13.6%), 23 had a posterior corpus callosum notch (prevalence, 39%), and 2 patients demonstrated undulated morphology (prevalence, 3.4%). In the healthy population, the anterior notch prevalence was 139/875 (15.8%), posterior notch prevalence was 378/875 (43.2%), and undulating prevalence was 37/875 (4.2%). There was no significant difference among the anterior (P = .635), posterior (P = .526), and undulating (P = .755) notch prevalence in the fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and healthy groups. CONCLUSIONS There was no significant difference in notching of the corpus callosum between patients with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and the healthy population. Although reported to be a marker of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, notching of the corpus callosum should not be viewed as a specific finding associated with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Schneble
- From the Departments of Radiology (E.S., D.R.P., J.M.P.), and
| | - C Lack
- Department of Radiology (C.L., M.Z.), Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - M Zapadka
- Department of Radiology (C.L., M.Z.), Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - C M Pfeifer
- Department of Radiology (C.M.P.), University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - D M E Bardo
- Department of Radiology (D.M.E.B.), Phoenix Children's Hospital, Phoenix, Arizona
| | - J Cagley
- Department of Radiology (J.C.), Legacy Emanuel, Portland, Oregon
| | - J Acharya
- Department of Radiology (J.A.), University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California
| | - A P Klein
- Department of Radiology (A.P.K., M.B.), Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - M Bhalla
- Department of Radiology (A.P.K., M.B.), Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - J T Obayashi
- Neurological Surgery (J.T.O., D.R.), Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - D Ross
- Neurological Surgery (J.T.O., D.R.), Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon.,Operative Care Division (D.R.), Portland Veterans Administration Hospital, Portland, Oregon
| | - D R Pettersson
- From the Departments of Radiology (E.S., D.R.P., J.M.P.), and
| | - J M Pollock
- From the Departments of Radiology (E.S., D.R.P., J.M.P.), and
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29
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Treit S, Jeffery D, Beaulieu C, Emery D. Radiological Findings on Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and Healthy Controls. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2020; 44:455-462. [PMID: 31840819 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) describe a range of physical, behavioral, and cognitive impairments stemming from prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). Although case studies have demonstrated striking visible brain abnormalities in humans (enlargement of the lateral ventricles, thinning or absence of the corpus callosum, etc.), few studies have systematically determined how these radiological findings generalize to the wider population of individuals living with FASD. METHODS This study examines rates of structural brain anomalies on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as determined by 2 radiologists in a retrospective blinded review of 163 controls and 164 individuals with PAE who were previously scanned as participants of past research studies. Incidental findings were categorized as normal variants, nonclinically significant incidental findings, or clinically significant incidental findings. Rates were compared between diagnostic subgroups using chi-square analysis. RESULTS There was no significant difference in the overall rate of incidental findings between groups: 75% of controls and 73% of PAE participants had no incidental findings of any kind, and only 1% of controls and 3% of PAE participants had incidental finding of clinical significance (the remaining findings were considered nonsignificant anomalies or normal variants). When the PAE group was split by diagnosis, low-lying cerebellar tonsils, polymicrogyria, and ventricular asymmetry/enlargement were all most prevalent in subjects with fetal alcohol syndrome/partial fetal alcohol syndrome. In addition, the overall rate of incidental findings was higher (41%) in participants with FAS/pFAS, compared to 25% in controls. No participants in this relatively large sample had corpus callosum agenesis. CONCLUSIONS Although advanced quantitative MRI research has uncovered a range of differences in brain structure associated with FASD, this qualitative radiological study suggests that routine clinical MRI does not reveal a consistent pattern of brain abnormalities that can be used diagnostically in this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Treit
- From the, Department of Biomedical Engineering, (ST, CB), Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Dean Jeffery
- Department of Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging, (DJ, DE), Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Christian Beaulieu
- From the, Department of Biomedical Engineering, (ST, CB), Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Derek Emery
- Department of Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging, (DJ, DE), Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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30
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Long X, Kar P, Gibbard B, Tortorelli C, Lebel C. The brain's functional connectome in young children with prenatal alcohol exposure. Neuroimage Clin 2019; 24:102082. [PMID: 31795047 PMCID: PMC6889793 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.102082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2019] [Revised: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can lead to altered brain function and structure, as well as lifelong cognitive, behavioral, and mental health difficulties. Previous research has shown reduced brain network efficiency in older children and adolescents with PAE, but no imaging studies have examined brain differences in young children with PAE, at an age when cognitive and behavioral problems often first become apparent. The present study aimed to investigate the brain's functional connectome in young children with PAE using passive viewing fMRI. We analyzed 34 datasets from 26 children with PAE aged 2-7 years and 215 datasets from 87 unexposed typically-developing children in the same age range. The whole brain functional connectome was constructed using functional connectivity analysis across 90 regions for each dataset. We examined intra- and inter-participant stability of the functional connectome, graph theoretical measurements, and their correlations with age. Children with PAE had similar inter- and intra-participant stability to controls. However, children with PAE, but not controls, showed increasing intra-participant stability with age, suggesting a lack of variability of intrinsic brain activity over time. Inter-participant stability increased with age in controls but not in children with PAE, indicating more variability of brain function across the PAE population. Global graph metrics were similar between children with PAE and controls, in line with previous studies in older children. This study characterizes the functional connectome in young children with PAE for the first time, suggesting that the increased brain variability seen in older children develops early in childhood, when participants with PAE fail to show the expected age-related increases in inter-individual stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangyu Long
- Alberta Children's Hospital, 28 Oki Drive NW, Calgary T3B6A8, AB, Canada; Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Canada; Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Canada
| | - Preeti Kar
- Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Canada; Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Canada
| | - Ben Gibbard
- Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Canada
| | | | - Catherine Lebel
- Alberta Children's Hospital, 28 Oki Drive NW, Calgary T3B6A8, AB, Canada; Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Canada; Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Canada.
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31
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Heroux NA, Horgan CJ, Rosen JB, Stanton ME. Cholinergic rescue of neurocognitive insult following third-trimester equivalent alcohol exposure in rats. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2019; 163:107030. [PMID: 31185278 PMCID: PMC6689250 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2019.107030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2019] [Revised: 05/22/2019] [Accepted: 06/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Neonatal ethanol exposure during the third trimester equivalent of human pregnancy in the rat significantly impairs hippocampal and prefrontal neurobehavioral functioning. Postnatal day [PD] 4-9 ethanol exposure in rats disrupts long-term context memory formation, resulting in abolished post-shock and retention test freezing in a variant of contextual fear conditioning called the Context Preexposure Facilitation Effect (CPFE). This behavioral impairment is accompanied by disrupted medial prefrontal, but not dorsal hippocampal expression of the immediate early genes (IEGs) c-Fos, Arc, Egr-1, and Npas4 (Heroux, Robinson-Drummer, Kawan, Rosen, & Stanton, 2019). The current experiment examined if systemic administration of the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor physostigmine (PHY) prior to context learning would rescue prefrontal IEG expression and freezing in the CPFE. From PD4-9, Long-Evans rats received oral intubation of ethanol (EtOH; 5.25 g/kg/day) or sham-intubation (SI). Rats received a systemic injection of saline (SAL) or PHY (0.01 mg/kg) prior to all three phases (Experiment 1) or just context exposure (Experiment 2) in the CPFE from PD31-33. A subset of rats were sacrificed 30 min after context learning to assay changes in IEG expression in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), dorsal hippocampus (dHPC), and ventral hippocampus (vHPC). Administration of PHY prior to all three phases or just context learning rescued both post-shock and retention test freezing in the CPFE in EtOH rats without altering performance in SI rats. EtOH-SAL rats had significantly reduced mPFC but not dHPC expression of c-Fos, Arc, Egr-1, and Npas4. EtOH-PHY treatment rescued mPFC expression of c-Fos in ethanol-exposed rats and increased Arc and Npas4 regardless of dosing condition. While there was no effect of PHY on dHPC or vHPC expression of Arc, Egr-1, or Npas4, this treatment significantly boosted hippocampal expression of c-Fos regardless of ethanol treatment. These findings implicate impaired cholinergic and prefrontal function in cognitive deficits arising from 3rd-trimester equivalent alcohol exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas A Heroux
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, United States.
| | - Colin J Horgan
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, United States
| | - Jeffrey B Rosen
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, United States
| | - Mark E Stanton
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, United States
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32
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Jarmasz JS, Stirton H, Basalah D, Davie JR, Clarren SK, Astley SJ, Del Bigio MR. Global DNA Methylation and Histone Posttranslational Modifications in Human and Nonhuman Primate Brain in Association with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2019; 43:1145-1162. [PMID: 31074890 PMCID: PMC6593679 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2019] [Revised: 02/26/2019] [Accepted: 03/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Background Based upon experimental animal studies, the neurodevelopmental abnormalities associated with prenatal alcohol exposure (PNAE)/fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) have been attributed, at least in part, to epigenetic modifications. However, there are no direct analyses of human brain tissue. Methods Immunohistochemical detection of global epigenetic markers was performed on temporal lobe samples of autopsied fetuses and infants with documented PNAE. They were compared to age‐, sex‐, and postmortem delay‐matched control cases (18 pairs; 20 to 70.5 weeks postconception). Temporal lobe tissue from a macaque monkey model of PNAE was also studied (5.7 to 6 months of age). We used antibodies targeting 4 DNA cytosine, 4 histone methylation, and 6 histone acetylation modifications and assigned scores based upon the semiquantitatively graded intensity and proportion of positively labeled nuclei in the ventricular and subventricular zones, ependyma, temporal cortex, temporal white matter, dentate gyrus (DG), and CA1 pyramidal layer. Results Temporal changes were identified for almost all marks according to the state of maturation in the human brain. In the DG (and 3 other brain regions), a statistically significant increase in H3K9ac was associated with PNAE. Statistically significant decreases were seen among 5mC, H3K4me3, H3K9ac, H3K27ac, H4K12ac, and H4K16ac in select regions. In the macaques, H3K36me3 decreased in the DG, and the ependyma showed decreases in 5fC and H3K36me3. Conclusions In human brain, global intranuclear epigenetic modifications are brain region and maturation state‐specific. These exploratory results support the general hypothesis that PNAE is associated with a global decrease in DNA methylation, a global decrease in histone methylation, and a global increase in histone acetylation. Although the human and monkey subjects are not directly comparable in terms of brain maturation, considering the rapid temporal changes in global epigenetic modifications during brain development, interspecies comparisons may be extremely difficult.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica S Jarmasz
- Department of Pathology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Hannah Stirton
- Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Duaa Basalah
- Department of Pathology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - James R Davie
- Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Sterling K Clarren
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine, Vancouver, British Columbia
| | - Susan J Astley
- Departments of Epidemiology/Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Marc R Del Bigio
- Department of Pathology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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33
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Mattson SN, Bernes GA, Doyle LR. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: A Review of the Neurobehavioral Deficits Associated With Prenatal Alcohol Exposure. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2019; 43:1046-1062. [PMID: 30964197 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 164] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2019] [Accepted: 04/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
In utero alcohol exposure can disrupt the development of the fetal brain and result in a wide range of neurobehavioral outcomes collectively known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). This paper provides a comprehensive review of the cognitive and behavioral outcomes of prenatal alcohol exposure, including domains of general intelligence, executive functioning, language development, learning and memory, adaptive functioning, academic performance, and concurrent psychopathology. In addition, the current status of the neurobehavioral profile of FASD and its potential as a diagnostic tool will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah N Mattson
- Center for Behavioral Teratology and Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California
| | - Gemma A Bernes
- Center for Behavioral Teratology and Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California
| | - Lauren R Doyle
- Center for Behavioral Teratology and Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California
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34
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Crenshaw BJ, Kumar S, Bell CR, Jones LB, Williams SD, Saldanha SN, Joshi S, Sahu R, Sims B, Matthews QL. Alcohol Modulates the Biogenesis and Composition of Microglia-Derived Exosomes. BIOLOGY 2019; 8:biology8020025. [PMID: 31035566 PMCID: PMC6627924 DOI: 10.3390/biology8020025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2019] [Revised: 04/19/2019] [Accepted: 04/22/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Exosomes are small extracellular vesicles that have emerged as an important tool for intercellular communication. In the central nervous system, exosomes can mediate glia and neuronal communication. Once released from the donor cell, exosomes can act as discrete vesicles and travel to distant and proximal recipient cells to alter cellular function. Microglia cells secrete exosomes due to stress stimuli of alcohol abuse. The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of alcohol exposure on the biogenesis and composition of exosomes derived from microglia cell line BV-2. The BV-2 cells were cultured in exosome-free media and were either mock treated (control) or treated with 50 mM or 100 mM of alcohol for 48 and 72 h. Our results demonstrated that alcohol significantly impacted BV-2 cell morphology, viability, and protein content. Most importantly, our studies revealed that exosome biogenesis and composition was affected by alcohol treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brennetta J Crenshaw
- Microbiology Program, Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL 36104, USA.
| | - Sanjay Kumar
- Departments of Pediatrics and Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, Division of Neonatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
| | - Courtnee' R Bell
- Microbiology Program, Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL 36104, USA.
| | - Leandra B Jones
- Microbiology Program, Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL 36104, USA.
| | - Sparkle D Williams
- Departments of Pediatrics and Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, Division of Neonatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
| | - Sabita N Saldanha
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL 36104, USA.
| | - Sameer Joshi
- Center for Nanobiotechnology Research (CNBR), Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL 36104, USA.
| | - Rajnish Sahu
- Center for Nanobiotechnology Research (CNBR), Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL 36104, USA.
| | - Brian Sims
- Departments of Pediatrics and Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, Division of Neonatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
| | - Qiana L Matthews
- Microbiology Program, Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL 36104, USA.
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL 36104, USA.
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35
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Breit KR, Zamudio B, Thomas JD. The effects of alcohol and cannabinoid exposure during the brain growth spurt on behavioral development in rats. Birth Defects Res 2019; 111:760-774. [PMID: 30854806 DOI: 10.1002/bdr2.1487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2018] [Revised: 02/12/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug among pregnant women. Moreover, over half of pregnant women who are consuming cannabis are also consuming alcohol; however, the consequences of combined prenatal alcohol and cannabis exposure on fetal development are not well understood. The current study examined behavioral development following exposure to ethanol (EtOH) and/or CP-55,940 (CP), a cannabinoid receptor agonist. From postnatal days (PD) 4-9, a period of brain development equivalent to the third trimester, Sprague-Dawley rats received EtOH (5.25 g/kg/day) or sham intubation, as well as CP (0.4 mg/kg/day) or vehicle. All subjects were tested on open field activity (PD 18-21), elevated plus maze (PD 25), and spatial learning (PD 40-46) tasks. Both EtOH and CP increased locomotor activity in the open field, and the combination produced more severe overactivity than either exposure alone. Similarly, increases in thigmotaxis in the Morris water maze were caused by either EtOH or CP alone, and were more severe with combined exposure, although only EtOH impaired spatial learning. Finally, developmental CP significantly increased time spent in the open arms on the elevated plus maze. Overall, these data indicate that EtOH and CP produce some independent effects on behavior, and that the combination produces more severe overactivity in the open field. Importantly, these data suggest that prenatal cannabis disrupts development and combined prenatal exposure to alcohol and cannabis may be particularly damaging to the developing fetus, which has implications for the lives of affected individuals and families and also for establishing public health policy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen R Breit
- Department of Psychology, Center for Behavioral Teratology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California
| | - Brandonn Zamudio
- Department of Psychology, Center for Behavioral Teratology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California
| | - Jennifer D Thomas
- Department of Psychology, Center for Behavioral Teratology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California
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36
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Gross LA, Moore EM, Wozniak JR, Coles CD, Kable JA, Sowell ER, Jones KL, Riley EP, Mattson SN. Neural correlates of verbal memory in youth with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure. Brain Imaging Behav 2019; 12:806-822. [PMID: 28656347 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-017-9739-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Prenatal alcohol exposure can impact both brain development and neurobehavioral function, including verbal learning and recall, although the relation between verbal recall and brain structure in this population has not been examined fully. We aimed to determine the structural neural correlates of verbal learning and recall in youth with histories of heavy prenatal alcohol exposure using a region of interest (ROI) approach. As part of an ongoing multisite project, subjects (age 10-16 years) with prenatal alcohol exposure (AE, n = 81) and controls (CON, n = 81) were tested using the CVLT-C and measures of cortical volume, surface area, and thickness as well as hippocampal volume were derived from MRI. Group differences in brain and memory indices were tested with ANOVA. Multiple regression analyses tested whether brain ROIs significantly predicted memory performance. The AE group had lower scores than the CON group on all CVLT-C variables (ps ≤ .001) and volume and surface area (ps < .025), although results varied by ROI. No group differences in cortical thickness were found. The relations between cortical structure and memory performance differed between group among some ROIs, particularly those in the frontal cortex, generally with smaller surface area and/or thinner cortex predicting better performance in CON but worse performance in AE. Cortical surface area appears to be the most sensitive index to the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure, while cortical thickness appears to be the least sensitive. These findings also indicate that the neural correlates of verbal memory are altered in youth with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure compared to controls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren A Gross
- Center for Behavioral Teratology, Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, 6330 Alvarado Court, Suite 100, San Diego, CA, 92120, USA
| | - Eileen M Moore
- Center for Behavioral Teratology, Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, 6330 Alvarado Court, Suite 100, San Diego, CA, 92120, USA
| | - Jeffrey R Wozniak
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, F282/2A West, 2450 Riverside Ave, Minneapolis, MN, 55454, USA
| | - Claire D Coles
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, 12 Executive Park Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, 12 Executive Park Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Julie A Kable
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, 12 Executive Park Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Elizabeth R Sowell
- Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, University of Southern California, 4650 Sunset Blvd., Mailstop #130, Los Angeles, CA, 90027, USA
| | - Kenneth L Jones
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0828, USA
| | - Edward P Riley
- Center for Behavioral Teratology, Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, 6330 Alvarado Court, Suite 100, San Diego, CA, 92120, USA
| | - Sarah N Mattson
- Center for Behavioral Teratology, Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, 6330 Alvarado Court, Suite 100, San Diego, CA, 92120, USA.
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37
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Zhang CR, Kurniawan ND, Yamada L, Fleming W, Kaminen-Ahola N, Ahola A, Galloway G, Chong S. Early gestational ethanol exposure in mice: Effects on brain structure, energy metabolism and adiposity in adult offspring. Alcohol 2019; 75:1-10. [PMID: 30316966 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2018.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2018] [Revised: 04/20/2018] [Accepted: 04/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
We examined whether an early-life event - ethanol exposure in the initial stages of pregnancy - affected offspring brain structure, energy metabolism, and body composition in later life. Consumption of 10% (v/v) ethanol by inbred C57BL/6J female mice from 0.5 to 8.5 days post coitum was used to model alcohol exposure during the first 3-4 weeks of gestation in humans, when pregnancy is not typically recognized. At adolescence (postnatal day [P] 28) and adulthood (P64), the brains of male offspring were scanned ex vivo using ultra-high field (16.4 T) magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging. Energy metabolism and body composition were measured in adulthood by indirect calorimetry and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), respectively. Ethanol exposure had no substantial impact on white matter organization in the anterior commissure, corpus callosum, hippocampal commissure, internal capsule, optic tract, or thalamus. Whole brain volume and the volumes of the neocortex, cerebellum, and caudate putamen were also unaffected. Subtle, but non-significant, effects were observed on the hippocampus and the hypothalamus in adult ethanol-exposed male offspring. Ethanol exposure was additionally associated with a trend toward decreased oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production, and reduced daily energy expenditure, as well as significantly increased adiposity, albeit with normal body weight and food intake, in adult male offspring. In summary, ethanol exposure restricted to early gestation had subtle long-term effects on the structure of specific brain regions in male offspring. The sensitivity of the hippocampus to ethanol-induced damage is reminiscent of that reported by other studies - despite differences in the level, timing, and duration of exposure - and likely contributes to the cognitive impairment that characteristically results from prenatal ethanol exposure. The hypothalamus plays an important role in regulating metabolism and energy homeostasis. Our finding of altered daily energy expenditure and adiposity in adult ethanol-exposed males is consistent with the idea that central nervous system abnormalities also underpin some of the metabolic phenotypes associated with ethanol exposure in pregnancy.
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38
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Buckley DM, Sidik A, Kar RD, Eberhart JK. Differentially sensitive neuronal subpopulations in the central nervous system and the formation of hindbrain heterotopias in ethanol-exposed zebrafish. Birth Defects Res 2019; 111:700-713. [PMID: 30793540 DOI: 10.1002/bdr2.1477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2018] [Revised: 01/22/2019] [Accepted: 01/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A cardinal feature of prenatal ethanol exposure is CNS damage, resulting in a continuum of neurological and behavioral impairments that are described by the term fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). FASDs are variable and depend on several factors, including the amount, timing, and duration of prenatal ethanol exposure. To enhance interventions for CNS dysfunction, it is necessary to identify ethanol-sensitive neuronal populations and expand the understanding of factors that modify ethanol teratogenesis. METHODS To investigate the susceptibility of different neuronal subtypes, we exposed transgenic zebrafish (Danio rerio) to several ethanol concentrations (0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, or 2.0%), at different hours post fertilization (hpf; 0, 6, or 24 hpf), for various durations (0-24, 0-48, 4-24, 6-24, 6-48,or 24-48 hpf). Following exposure, embryo survival rates were determined, and CNS neurogenesis, differentiation, and patterning were assessed. RESULTS Embryo survival rates decrease as ethanol concentrations increase and drastically decline when exposed from 0-24 hpf compared to 4-24 hpf. Abnormal tangential migration of facial motor neurons is observed in isl1:gfp embryos exposed to ethanol concentrations as low as 0.25%, and the formation of IVth ventricle heterotopias are revealed by embryos exposed to ≥1.0% ethanol. Whereas, expression of olig2:dsred and ptf1a:gfp in the cerebellum and spinal cord are largely unaffected. While levels of etv4 mRNA are overtly resistant to ethanol, we observe significant reductions in ptch2 mRNA levels. CONCLUSIONS These data show differentially sensitive CNS neuron subpopulations with susceptibility to low levels of ethanol. In addition, these data reveal the formation of ethanol-induced hindbrain heterotopias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Desire M Buckley
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Alfire Sidik
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Ranjeet D Kar
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Johann K Eberhart
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
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Terband H, Spruit M, Maassen B. Speech Impairment in Boys With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY 2018; 27:1405-1425. [PMID: 30398563 DOI: 10.1044/2018_ajslp-17-0013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2017] [Accepted: 05/11/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are a highly prevalent spectrum of patterns of congenital defects resulting from prenatal exposure to alcohol. Approximately 90% of the cases involve speech impairment. Yet, to date, no detailed symptom profiles nor dedicated treatment plans are available for this population. PURPOSE This study set out to chart the speech and speech motor characteristics in boys with FASD to profile the concomitant speech impairment and identify possible underlying mechanisms. METHOD Ten boys with FASD (4.5-10.3 years old) and 26 typically developing children (4.1-8.7 years old; 14 boys, 12 girls) participated in the study. Speech production and perception, and oral motor data were collected by standardized tests. RESULTS The boys with FASD showed reduced scores on all tasks as well as a deviant pattern of correlations between production and perception tasks and intelligibility compared with the typically developing children. Speech motor profiles showed specific problems with nonword repetition and tongue control. CONCLUSIONS Findings indicate that the speech impairment in boys with FASD results from a combination of deficits in multiple subsystems and should be approached as a disorder rather than a developmental delay. The results suggest that reduced speech motor planning/programming, auditory discrimination, and oral motor abilities should be considered in long-term, individually tailored treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hayo Terband
- Utrecht Institute of Linguistics - OTS, Utrecht University, the Netherlands
| | - Manon Spruit
- Utrecht Institute of Linguistics - OTS, Utrecht University, the Netherlands
- Logopedie & Stottertherapie, Lingen, Germany
| | - Ben Maassen
- Centre for Language and Cognition & University Medical Centre, University of Groningen, the Netherlands
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Neonatal ethanol exposure impairs long-term context memory formation and prefrontal immediate early gene expression in adolescent rats. Behav Brain Res 2018; 359:386-395. [PMID: 30447241 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.11.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2018] [Revised: 10/19/2018] [Accepted: 11/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Fetal alcohol exposure leads to severe disruptions in learning and memory involving the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex in humans. Animal model research on FASD has documented impairment of hippocampal neuroanatomy and function but animal studies of cognition involving the prefrontal cortex are sparse. We have found that a variant of contextual fear conditioning in which both the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex is required, the Context Preexposure Facilitation Effect (CPFE), is particularly sensitive to neurobehavioral disruption caused by neonatal ethanol exposure during the third trimester equivalent of human pregnancy in the rat (i.e., PD4-9). In the CPFE, learning about the context, acquiring a context-shock association, and retrieving contextual fear are temporally separated across three days. The current study asked whether neonatal alcohol exposure impairs context learning, consolidation, or retrieval and examined prefrontal and hippocampal molecular signaling as correlates of this impairment. Long-Evans rats that received oral intubation of ethanol (AE; 5.25 g/kg/day, split into two doses) or underwent sham-intubation (SI) from PND4-9 were tested on the CPFE on PD31-33. Extending our previous reports, ethanol abolished both post-shock and retention test freezing in the CPFE. Assays (qPCR) of immediate early gene expression revealed that ethanol disrupted prefrontal but not hippocampal expression of c-Fos, Arc, Egr-1, and Npas4 during context learning. Finally, ethanol-exposed animals were unimpaired in a standard contextual fear conditioning procedure in which learning about the context and acquiring a context-shock association occurs concurrently. These findings implicate impaired prefrontal function in cognitive deficits arising from 3rd-trimester equivalent alcohol exposure in the rat.
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Caldwell KK, Solomon ER, Smoake JJW, Djatche de Kamgaing CD, Allan AM. Sex-specific deficits in biochemical but not behavioral responses to delay fear conditioning in prenatal alcohol exposure mice. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2018; 156:1-16. [PMID: 30316893 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2018.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2018] [Revised: 09/17/2018] [Accepted: 10/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studies in clinical populations and preclinical models have shown that prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is associated with impairments in the acquisition, consolidation and recall of information, with deficits in hippocampal formation-dependent learning and memory being a common finding. The glucocorticoid receptor (GR), mineralocorticoid receptor (MR), and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (ERK2) are key regulators of hippocampal formation development, structure and functioning and, thus, are potential mediators of PAE's effects on this brain region. In the present studies, we employed a well-characterized mouse model of PAE to identify biochemical mechanisms that may underlie activity-dependent learning and memory deficits associated with PAE. METHODS Mouse dams consumed either 10% (w/v) ethanol in 0.066% (w/v) saccharin (SAC) or 0.066% (w/v) SAC alone using a limited (4-h) access, drinking-in-the-dark paradigm. Male and female offspring (∼180-days of age) were trained using a delay conditioning procedure and contextual fear responses (freezing behavior) were measured 24 h later. Hippocampal formation tissue and blood were collected from three behavioral groups of animals: 20 min following conditioning (conditioning only group), 20 min following the re-exposure to the context (conditioning plus re-exposure group), and behaviorally naïve (naïve group) mice. Plasma corticosterone levels were measured by enzyme immunoassay. Immunoblotting techniques were used to measure protein levels of the GR, MR, ERK1 and ERK2 in nuclear and membrane fractions prepared from the hippocampal formation. RESULTS Adult SAC control male and female mice displayed similar levels of contextual fear. However, significant sex differences were observed in freezing exhibited during the conditioning session. Compared to same-sex SAC controls, male and female PAE mice demonstrated context fear deficits While plasma corticosterone concentrations were elevated in PAE males and females relative to their respective SAC naïve controls, plasma corticosterone concentrations in the conditioning only and conditioning plus re-exposure groups were similar in SAC and PAE animals. Relative to the respective naïve group, nuclear GR protein levels were increased in SAC, but not PAE, male hippocampal formation in the conditioning only group. In contrast, no difference was observed between nuclear GR levels in the naïve and conditioning plus re-exposure groups. In females, nuclear GR levels were significantly reduced by PAE but there was no effect of behavioral group or interaction between prenatal treatment and behavioral group. In males, nuclear MR levels were significantly elevated in the SAC conditioning plus re-exposure group compared to SAC naïve mice. In PAE females, nuclear MR levels were elevated in both the conditioning only and conditioning plus re-exposure groups relative to the naïve group. Levels of activated ERK2 (phospho-ERK2 expressed relative to total ERK2) protein were elevated in SAC, but not PAE, males following context re-exposure, and a significant interaction between prenatal exposure group and behavioral group was found. No main effects or interactions of behavioral group and prenatal treatment on nuclear ERK2 were found in female mice. These findings suggest a sex difference in which molecular pathways are activated during fear conditioning in mice. CONCLUSIONS In PAE males, the deficits in contextual fear were associated with the loss of responsiveness of hippocampal formation nuclear GR, MR and ERK2 to signals generated by fear conditioning and context re-exposure. In contrast, the contextual fear deficit in PAE female mice does not appear to be associated with activity-dependent changes in GR and MR levels or ERK2 activation during training or memory recall, although an overall reduction in nuclear GR levels may play a role. These studies add to a growing body of literature demonstrating that, at least partially, different mechanisms underlie learning, memory formation and memory recall in males and females and that these pathways are differentially affected by PAE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin K Caldwell
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA.
| | - Elizabeth R Solomon
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Jane J W Smoake
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Chrys D Djatche de Kamgaing
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Andrea M Allan
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
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Ali S, Kerns KA, Mulligan BP, Olson HC, Astley SJ. An investigation of intra-individual variability in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Child Neuropsychol 2018; 24:617-637. [PMID: 28301980 PMCID: PMC6309982 DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2017.1302579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Intra-individual variability (IIV) is defined as systematic within-person variation in performance either across test sessions (e.g., test/retest performance on the same task) or in one session (e.g., variations in performance on multiple trials of a single task). Higher levels of IIV have been noted as a characteristic of neurodevelopmental disorders such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but IIV is yet to be investigated in fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). FASD is a term used to describe a range of conditions resulting from prenatal exposure to alcohol. As part of a comprehensive neuropsychological battery, four study groups (1. fetal alcohol syndrome/partial fetal alcohol syndrome; 2. static encephalopathy/alcohol exposed; 3. neurobehavioral disorder/alcohol exposed as diagnosed using the University of Washington FASD 4-Digit Code; 4. typically-developing (TD) age-matched children with no prenatal alcohol exposure) were administered measures of motor response and inhibitory control, attention, and adaptive behavior. The results indicate increased levels of IIV in those with FASD compared to the TD controls. It was found that IIV uniquely contributes to predicting adaptive behavior above and beyond attention, while attention partially mediates the relationship between IIV and adaptive behavior. This is the first study to the authors' knowledge to show the presence of increased IIV in children with FASD. It additionally provides evidence that IIV measures some inherent variability in performance independent of poor attention in children with FASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheliza Ali
- a Department of Psychology , University of Victoria , Canada
| | | | | | - Heather Carmichael Olson
- b Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences , University of Washington School of Medicine , Seattle , WA , USA
- c Seattle Children's Research Institute , Seattle , WA , USA
| | - Susan J Astley
- d Department of Epidemiology , University of Washington School of Public Health , Seattle , WA , USA
- e Department of Pediatrics , University of Washington School of Medicine , Seattle , WA , USA
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Cantacorps L, González-Pardo H, Arias JL, Valverde O, Conejo NM. Altered brain functional connectivity and behaviour in a mouse model of maternal alcohol binge-drinking. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2018. [PMID: 29526773 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2018.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal and perinatal alcohol exposure caused by maternal alcohol intake during gestation and lactation periods can have long-lasting detrimental effects on the brain development and behaviour of offspring. Children diagnosed with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) display a wide range of cognitive, emotional and motor deficits, together with characteristic morphological abnormalities. Maternal alcohol binge drinking is particularly harmful for foetal and early postnatal brain development, as it involves exposure to high levels of alcohol over short periods of time. However, little is known about the long-term effects of maternal alcohol binge drinking on brain function and behaviour. To address this issue, we used pregnant C57BL/6 female mice with time-limited access to a 20% v/v alcohol solution as a procedure to model alcohol binge drinking during gestation and lactational periods. Male offspring were behaviourally tested during adolescence (30 days) and adulthood (60 days), and baseline neural metabolic capacity of brain regions sensitive to alcohol effects were also evaluated in adult animals from both groups. Our results show that prenatal and postnatal alcohol exposure caused age-dependent changes in spontaneous locomotor activity, increased anxiety-like behaviour and attenuated alcohol-induced conditioned place preference in adults. Also, significant changes in neural metabolic capacity using cytochrome c oxidase (CCO) quantitative histochemistry were found in the hippocampal dentate gyrus, the mammillary bodies, the ventral tegmental area, the lateral habenula and the central lobules of the cerebellum in adult mice with prenatal and postnatal alcohol exposure. In addition, the analysis of interregional CCO activity correlations in alcohol-exposed adult mice showed disrupted functional brain connectivity involving the limbic, brainstem, and cerebellar regions. Finally, increased neurogenesis was found in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus of alcohol-exposed offspring, suggesting neuroadaptive effects due to early alcohol exposure. Our results demonstrate that maternal binge-like alcohol drinking causes long-lasting effects on motor and emotional-related behaviours associated with impaired neuronal metabolic capacity and altered functional brain connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lídia Cantacorps
- Neurobiology of Behaviour Research Group (GReNeC-NeuroBio), Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Héctor González-Pardo
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Oviedo, Plaza Feijóo, Oviedo, Spain; Instituto de Neurociencias del Principado de Asturias (INEUROPA), Oviedo, Spain
| | - Jorge L Arias
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Oviedo, Plaza Feijóo, Oviedo, Spain; Instituto de Neurociencias del Principado de Asturias (INEUROPA), Oviedo, Spain
| | - Olga Valverde
- Neurobiology of Behaviour Research Group (GReNeC-NeuroBio), Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; Neuroscience Research Program, IMIM-Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Nélida M Conejo
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Oviedo, Plaza Feijóo, Oviedo, Spain; Instituto de Neurociencias del Principado de Asturias (INEUROPA), Oviedo, Spain
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Biospecimens and the ABCD study: Rationale, methods of collection, measurement and early data. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2018; 32:97-106. [PMID: 29606560 PMCID: PMC6487488 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2018.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2017] [Revised: 02/07/2018] [Accepted: 03/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Biospecimen collection in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study – of hair samples, shed deciduous (baby) teeth, and body fluids – will serve dual functions of screening for study eligibility, and providing measures of biological processes thought to predict or correlate with key study outcomes on brain and cognitive development. Biosamples are being collected annually to screen for recency of drug use prior to the neuroimaging or cognitive testing visit, and to store for the following future studies: (1) on the effects of exposure to illicit and recreational drugs (including alcohol and nicotine); (2) of pubertal hormones on brain and cognitive developmental trajectories; (3) on the contribution of genomics and epigenomics to child and adolescent development and behavioral outcomes; and (4) with pre- and post-natal exposure to environmental neurotoxicants and drugs of abuse measured from novel tooth analyses. The present manuscript describes the rationales for inclusion and selection of the specific biospecimens, methodological considerations for each measure, future plans for assessment of biospecimens during follow-up visits, and preliminary ABCD data to illustrate methodological considerations.
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Bakhireva LN, Garrison L, Shrestha S, Sharkis J, Miranda R, Rogers K. Challenges of diagnosing fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in foster and adopted children. Alcohol 2018; 67:37-43. [PMID: 29316477 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2017.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2016] [Revised: 05/08/2017] [Accepted: 05/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) might be 10-15 times more prevalent among foster/adopted children compared to the general population; however, many of these children remain undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. The lack of confirmed prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) may be a key barrier to diagnosis. Our sample included 681 patients evaluated for FASD, according to the University of Washington 4-Digit Diagnostic Code, at a pediatric specialty clinic. Guardianship status and other patient characteristics were evaluated by multinomial logistic regression as potential predictors of being classified into one of the following FASD groups: 1) full or partial Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS/pFAS; n = 97); 2) Static Encephalopathy/Alcohol-Exposed (SE/AE) or Neurobehavioral Disorder/Alcohol-Exposed (ND/AE) (n = 135); and 3) some features of FASD (equivalent to pFAS, SE/AE or ND/AE phenotypes) but unknown PAE (n = 449). Median age at assessment was 7.0 years, non-Hispanic White constituted the predominant racial/ethnic group (49.5%), and the majority (81.8%) lacked involvement from a biological parent/relative. Many patients (66.0%) had some features of FASD but lacked reliable PAE information. Children classified into the 'some features/unknown PAE' group had higher median age of assessment (8 years) compared to other groups (6 years; p < 0.001). No association was observed between race/ethnicity or child's sex and FASD outcomes (p > 0.05). Adopted/foster children were 2.8 times as likely (95% CI: 1.6; 4.8) to be classified into the 'some features/unknown PAE' group compared to children living with a parent/relative after adjusting for covariates. This study's findings indicate that adopted/foster children are more likely to have unknown PAE and not receive a FASD diagnosis, potentially denying them access to specialized services, treatment, and rehabilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ludmila N Bakhireva
- Department of Pharmacy Practice and Administrative Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA; Department of Family and Community Medicine, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
| | - Laura Garrison
- Department of Pharmacy Practice and Administrative Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Shikhar Shrestha
- Department of Pharmacy Practice and Administrative Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Janet Sharkis
- Texas Office for Prevention of Developmental Disabilities, Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Rajesh Miranda
- Department of Neuroscience & Experimental Therapeutics, Texas A&M University, Bryan, TX, USA
| | - Karen Rogers
- PALs Developmental Center, Lubbock, TX, USA; Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA
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Hendrickson TJ, Mueller BA, Sowell ER, Mattson SN, Coles CD, Kable JA, Jones KL, Boys CJ, Lee S, Lim KO, Riley EP, Wozniak JR. Two-year cortical trajectories are abnormal in children and adolescents with prenatal alcohol exposure. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2018; 30:123-133. [PMID: 29486453 PMCID: PMC5949095 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2018.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2017] [Revised: 10/30/2017] [Accepted: 02/16/2018] [Indexed: 10/29/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Cortical abnormalities in prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) are known, including in gyrification (LGI), thickness (CT), volume (CV), and surface area (CS). This study provides longitudinal and developmental context to the PAE cortical development literature. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Included: 58 children with PAE and 52 controls, ages 6-17 at enrollment, from four Collaborative Initiative on FASD (CIFASD) sites. Participants underwent a formal evaluation of physical anomalies and dysmorphic facial features associated with PAE. MRI data were collected on three platforms (Siemens, GE, and Philips) at four sites. Scans were spaced two years apart. Change in LGI, CT, CS, and CV were examined. PRINCIPAL OBSERVATIONS Several significant regional age-by-diagnosis linear and quadratic interaction effects in LGI, CT, and CV were found, indicating atypical developmental trajectories in PAE. No significant correlations were observed between cortical measures and IQ. CONCLUSIONS Regional differences were seen longitudinally in CT, CV, and LGI in those with PAE. The findings represent important insights into developmental trajectories and may have implications for the timing of assessments and interventions in this population. It is noteworthy that cortical metrics did not correlate with IQ, suggesting that more specific aspects of cognitive development may need to be explored to provide further context.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Elizabeth R Sowell
- Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, USA; University of Southern California, USA
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Comasco E, Rangmar J, Eriksson UJ, Oreland L. Neurological and neuropsychological effects of low and moderate prenatal alcohol exposure. Acta Physiol (Oxf) 2018; 222. [PMID: 28470828 DOI: 10.1111/apha.12892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2017] [Revised: 02/17/2017] [Accepted: 04/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Several explanations for the diverse results in research on foetal alcohol spectrum disorders or alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder might be at hand: timing, amount and patterns of alcohol exposure, as well as complex epigenetic responses. The genetic background of the offspring and its interaction with other prenatal and post-natal environmental cues are likely also of importance. In the present report, key findings about the possible effects of low and moderate doses of maternal alcohol intake on the neuropsychological development of the offspring are reviewed and plausible mechanisms discussed. Special focus is put on the serotonergic system within developmental and gene-environment frameworks. The review also suggests guidelines for future studies and also summarizes some of to-be-answered questions of relevance to clinical practice. Contradictory findings and paucity of studies on the effects of exposure to low alcohol levels during foetal life for the offspring's neuropsychological development call for large prospective studies, as well as for studies including neuroimaging and multi-omics analyses to dissect the neurobiological underpinnings of alcohol exposure-related phenotypes and to identify biomarkers. Finally, it remains to be investigated whether any safe threshold of alcohol drinking during pregnancy can be identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. Comasco
- Department of Neuroscience; Uppsala University; Uppsala Sweden
| | - J. Rangmar
- Department of Psychology; University of Gothenburg; Gothenburg Sweden
| | - U. J. Eriksson
- Department of Medical Cell Biology; Uppsala University; Uppsala Sweden
| | - L. Oreland
- Department of Neuroscience; Uppsala University; Uppsala Sweden
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Wetherill L, Foroud T, Goodlett C. Meta-Analyses of Externalizing Disorders: Genetics or Prenatal Alcohol Exposure? Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2017; 42:162-172. [PMID: 29063614 DOI: 10.1111/acer.13535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2017] [Accepted: 10/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Externalizing disorders are heritable precursors to alcohol dependence, common in children of alcoholics (COA), and in children with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). Pregnancies involving alcohol exposure sufficient to affect the fetus may involve women with genetic risk for alcohol dependence. We hypothesized that known PAE will increase the odds of having an externalizing disorder compared to COA. METHODS The odds ratios of 3 externalizing disorders (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD], conduct disorder [CD], and oppositional defiant disorder [ODD]) were obtained for 2 domains: (i) PAE and (ii) COA, by estimating the logged odds ratio (LOR) for each study. Permutation tests were implemented to compare LORs for PAE versus COA studies within each disorder, including PAE versus an alcohol dependent (AD) mother and PAE versus an AD father. RESULTS In PAE studies, the odds of ADHD and CD were elevated. Rates of all 3 disorders were elevated in COA studies. Permutation tests revealed that the mean LOR for ADHD was significantly higher in PAE studies compared to: COA (p = 0.01), AD mother (p < 0.05), and AD father (p = 0.03). No differences were found for ODD (p = 0.09) or CD (p = 0.21). CONCLUSIONS These results provide compelling evidence of an increased risk of ADHD in those with PAE beyond that due to parental alcohol dependence or a genetic liability, consistent with a unique etiology most likely due to direct alcohol exposure during prenatal development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leah Wetherill
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana.,Department of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Tatiana Foroud
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Charles Goodlett
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana
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Infante MA, Moore EM, Bischoff-Grethe A, Tapert SF, Mattson SN, Riley EP. Altered functional connectivity during spatial working memory in children with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure. Alcohol 2017; 64:11-21. [PMID: 28965651 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2017.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2017] [Revised: 05/02/2017] [Accepted: 05/02/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Individuals prenatally exposed to alcohol often have impaired spatial working memory (SWM). This study examines functional connections of frontal and parietal regions that support SWM in children with and without prenatal alcohol exposure. Children ages 10 to 16 with histories of heavy prenatal alcohol exposure (AE group; n = 18) and controls (CON group; n = 19) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while performing a SWM task. Whole brain task-related functional connectivity of bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and posterior parietal cortex (PPC) seed regions were estimated for each participant using a psychophysiological interaction approach. Children in the AE group were less accurate than children in the CON group when performing the SWM task (p = 0.008). Positive coupling between bilateral DLPFC seeds and regions within the fronto-parietal network was observed in the CON group, whereas the AE group showed negative connectivity. In contrast to the CON group, the AE group showed positive connectivity between PPC seeds and frontal lobe regions. Across seeds, decreased negative coupling with regions outside the fronto-parietal network (e.g., left middle occipital gyrus) were observed in the AE group relative to the CON group. Functional data clusters were considered significant at p < 0.05. Overall findings suggest that localized alterations in neural activity, aberrant fronto-parietal network synchrony, and poor coordination of neural responses with regions outside of this network may help explain SWM deficits in individuals with a history of heavy prenatal alcohol exposure.
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Jarmasz JS, Basalah DA, Chudley AE, Del Bigio MR. Human Brain Abnormalities Associated With Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 2017; 76:813-833. [PMID: 28859338 PMCID: PMC5901082 DOI: 10.1093/jnen/nlx064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a common neurodevelopmental problem, but neuropathologic descriptions are rare and focused on the extreme abnormalities. We conducted a retrospective survey (1980–2016) of autopsies on 174 individuals with prenatal alcohol exposure or an FASD diagnosis. Epidemiologic details and neuropathologic findings were categorized into 5 age groups. Alcohol exposure was difficult to quantify. When documented, almost all mothers smoked tobacco, many abused other substances, and prenatal care was poor or nonexistent. Placental abnormalities were common (68%) in fetal cases. We identified micrencephaly (brain weight <5th percentile) in 31, neural tube defects in 5, isolated hydrocephalus in 6, corpus callosum defects in 6 (including some with complex anomalies), probable prenatal ischemic lesions in 5 (excluding complications of prematurity), minor subarachnoid heterotopias in 4, holoprosencephaly in 1, lissencephaly in 1, and cardiac anomalies in 26 cases. The brain abnormalities associated with prenatal alcohol exposure are varied; cause–effect relationships cannot be determined. FASD is likely not a monotoxic disorder. The animal experimental literature, which emphasizes controlled exposure to ethanol alone, is therefore inadequate. Prevention must be the main societal goal, however, a clear understanding of the neuropathology is necessary for provision of care to individuals already affected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica S Jarmasz
- Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Department of Pathology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba; and Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; and Diagnostic Services Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Duaa A Basalah
- Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Department of Pathology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba; and Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; and Diagnostic Services Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Albert E Chudley
- Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Department of Pathology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba; and Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; and Diagnostic Services Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Marc R Del Bigio
- Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Department of Pathology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba; and Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; and Diagnostic Services Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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