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Published on: September 12, 2011
Diffusion tensor imaging in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
Jeffrey R Wozniak1, Bryon A Mueller, Pi-Nian Chang
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55454, USA. jwozniak@umn.edu
Insights
Prenatal alcohol exposure may cause brain abnormalities, even in milder cases. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) detected microstructural changes in the corpus callosum of children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD).
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Radiology
Background:
- Prenatal alcohol exposure can lead to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), characterized by brain abnormalities, neurodevelopmental deficits, and behavioral issues.
- Previous Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) studies indicated microstructural brain abnormalities in individuals with FAS.
- This study aimed to investigate microstructural brain abnormalities in prenatally alcohol-exposed children with less severe outcomes, not meeting full FAS criteria.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), without full FAS stigmata, exhibit microstructural brain abnormalities detectable by DTI.
- To compare DTI-derived measures of brain microstructure between children with FASD and matched controls.
Main Methods:
- Included 14 children (ages 10-13) diagnosed with FASD and 13 age- and sex-matched controls.
- Excluded participants with full-criteria FAS, mental retardation, or microcephaly.
- All participants underwent Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) including DTI scans.
Main Results:
- A trend towards smaller total cerebral volume was observed in the FASD group (p=0.057).
- Children with FASD showed significantly greater mean diffusivity (MD) in the isthmus of the corpus callosum compared to controls (p=0.013), indicating microstructural abnormalities.
- No significant group differences were found in other analyzed regions of the corpus callosum.
Conclusions:
- Even mild prenatal alcohol exposure may be linked to detectable microstructural abnormalities in the posterior corpus callosum.
- DTI is a sensitive imaging technique for identifying subtle brain alterations in individuals with FASD.
- Findings suggest a potential neurobiological basis for cognitive and behavioral deficits in less severely affected individuals with prenatal alcohol exposure.
Background:
Prenatal alcohol exposure, which is associated with macrostructural brain abnormalities, neurocognitive deficits, and behavioral disturbances, is characterized as fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) in severe cases. The only published study thus far using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) showed microstructural abnormalities in patients with FAS. The current study investigated whether similar abnormalities are present in less severely affected, prenatally exposed patients who did not display all of the typical FAS physical stigmata.
Methods:
Subjects included 14 children, ages 10 to 13, with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) and 13 matched controls. Cases with full-criteria FAS, mental retardation, or microcephaly were excluded. Subjects underwent MRI scans including DTI.
Results:
Although cases with microcephaly were excluded, there was a trend toward smaller total cerebral volume in the FASD group (p=0.057, Cohen's d effect size =0.73). Subjects with FASD had greater mean diffusivity (MD) in the isthmus of the corpus callosum than controls (p=0.013, effect size =1.05), suggesting microstructural abnormalities in this region. There were no group differences in 5 other regions of the corpus callosum. Correlations between MD in the isthmus and facial dysmorphology were nonsignificant.
Conclusions:
These results suggest that even relatively mild forms of fetal alcohol exposure may be associated with microstructural abnormalities in the posterior corpus callosum that are detectable with DTI.
