A systematic review of continuous performance task research in children prenatally exposed to alcohol

The aim of this study was to review systematically, research investigating an association between the continuous performance task (CPT) in children and exposure to alcohol in utero, in order to identify any evidence of a specific deficit in performance.

Seven electronic databases and three websites were searched. Papers were selected in accordance with specific inclusion criteria and scored in terms of the methodological quality using the Newcastle-Ottawa score. Marked methodological heterogeneity limited the validity of any statistical meta-analysis and a descriptive synthesis was performed instead.

A total of 14 papers were identified for inclusion. There was no consistent evidence of any association between prenatal alcohol exposure and correct responses, reaction time, commission or omission errors during CPT testing. Apparent trends in the reported results, however, suggest that a potential effect might have been missed.

Identifying a specific profile of CPT performance may assist in the detection and management of attention deficits amongst children with prenatal alcohol exposure. Future research with more consistent measures of exposure and outcome is, however, required before any valid generalizations about CPT performance can be made.