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Published on: August 5, 2017
Inter-hemispheric functional connectivity disruption in children with prenatal alcohol exposure
Jeffrey R Wozniak1, Bryon A Mueller, Ryan L Muetzel
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, 55454, USA. jwozniak@umn.edu
Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research
|February 10, 2011
Summary
Children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) show disrupted brain connectivity. This study reveals reduced functional connectivity in posterior brain regions, linked to cognitive deficits in FASD.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Brain Connectivity
Background:
- Prenatal alcohol exposure is linked to corpus callosum abnormalities in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD).
- These callosal abnormalities correlate with cognitive deficits in visual-motor skills, verbal learning, and executive functioning.
- Previous research highlights microstructural abnormalities in posterior callosal regions in FASD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if structural connectivity abnormalities in FASD are associated with disrupted inter-hemispheric functional connectivity.
- To determine the relationship between disrupted brain connectivity and cognitive function in children with FASD.
Main Methods:
- Utilized resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in 21 children with FASD and 23 controls.
- DTI tractography was used to delineate 7 inter-hemispheric white matter tracts and identify cortical regions of interest (ROIs).
- Computed resting-state fMRI signal correlations between ROIs to assess inter-hemispheric functional connectivity and correlated with cognitive and DTI measures.
Main Results:
- Children with FASD exhibited significantly lower inter-hemispheric functional connectivity (12%) in posterior para-central regions compared to controls.
- Functional connectivity in the para-central region was correlated with DTI mean diffusivity in controls, but not in the FASD group.
- A significant association was found between structural and functional connectivity measures and Wechsler perceptual reasoning ability.
Conclusions:
- Children with FASD demonstrate disturbances in inter-hemispheric functional connectivity, particularly in medial parietal regions connected by posterior callosal fibers.
- Findings suggest a link between previously observed microstructural abnormalities and current functional connectivity disruptions in posterior callosal regions.
- These neuroimaging measures hold clinical relevance, showing associations with cognitive functioning in children with FASD.
