Developmental Trajectories for Visuo-Spatial Attention are Altered by Prenatal Alcohol Exposure: A Longitudinal FMRI Study

Cereb Cortex. 2015 Dec;25(12):4761-71. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhu162. Epub 2014 Aug 4.

Abstract

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) reveals brain activation abnormalities during visuo-spatial attention and working memory among those with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) in cross-sectional reports, but little is known about how activation changes over time during development within FASD or typically developing children. We studied 30 controls and 31 individuals with FASD over 2 years (7-14 years at first participation) with a total of 122 scans, as part of the Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. Despite comparable performance, there were significant group differences in visuo-spatial activation over time bilaterally in frontal, parietal, and temporal regions. Controls showed an increase in signal intensity in these multiple regions whereas FASD participants showed a decrease in brain activation. Effects were also found in 2 small independent samples from the USA, corroborating the findings from the larger group. Results suggest that the long-lasting effect of prenatal alcohol may impact the maturation of visuo-spatial attention and differentiate those with FASD from controls. Based on this first longitudinal fMRI study in FASD children, our novel findings suggest a possible neural mechanism for attention deficits common among individuals with FASD.

Keywords: development; fetal alcohol spectrum disorders; working memory.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Attention / drug effects
  • Attention / physiology*
  • Brain / drug effects
  • Brain / growth & development*
  • Brain / physiopathology*
  • Brain Mapping
  • Child
  • Child Development
  • Ethanol / adverse effects*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male
  • Parietal Lobe / drug effects
  • Parietal Lobe / growth & development
  • Parietal Lobe / physiopathology
  • Pregnancy
  • Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / physiopathology*
  • Space Perception / drug effects
  • Space Perception / physiology*
  • Visual Perception / drug effects
  • Visual Perception / physiology*

Substances

  • Ethanol