Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 17, 2026
Construction of Vapor Chambers Used to Expose Mice to Alcohol During the Equivalent of all Three Trimesters of Human Development
Published on: July 13, 2014
Volume changes and brain-behavior relationships in white matter and subcortical gray matter in children with prenatal
Prapti Gautam1, Catherine Lebel, Katherine L Narr
1Department of Pediatrics, Developmental Cognitive Neuroimaging Laboratory, Keck School of Medicine, USC/Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
Insights
Children with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) show stable brain volume differences and altered brain-behavior relationships. These findings suggest a potential for intervention, offering hope for improved outcomes in affected children.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can lead to cognitive and behavioral abnormalities.
- Understanding brain structure changes and their relationship with neurodevelopmental outcomes in PAE is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare white matter and subcortical gray matter volume change rates in children with and without PAE.
- To examine the relationship between annual brain volume change and cognitive, behavioral, and executive function outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study with two MRI scans (~2 years apart) in 75 PAE and 64 control children (ages 7.1-15.9).
- Assessments included Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV), Child Behavior Checklist, and Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function.
- Subcortical brain volumes were analyzed for group differences and correlations with behavioral scores.
Main Results:
- Children with PAE exhibited smaller overall brain volumes compared to controls.
- Similar rates of subcortical volume growth were observed in both PAE and control groups.
- Abnormal brain-behavior relationships were found in PAE, with larger volume increases correlating with poorer outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Despite similar growth trajectories, PAE is associated with persistent brain volume differences and altered brain-behavior correlations.
- These findings suggest unique brain resource utilization in PAE and indicate a potential for intervention.
- Stable volume differences may provide an extended window for therapeutic interventions in children affected by PAE.
Abstract:
Children with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) may have cognitive, behavioral and brain abnormalities. Here, we compare rates of white matter and subcortical gray matter volume change in PAE and control children, and examine relationships between annual volume change and arithmetic ability, behavior, and executive function. Participants (n = 75 PAE/64 control; age: 7.1-15.9 years) each received two structural magnetic resonance scans, ~2 years apart. Assessments included Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV), the Child Behavior Checklist and the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function. Subcortical white and gray volumes were extracted for each hemisphere. Group volume differences were tested using false discovery rate (q < 0.05). Analyses examined group-by-age interactions and group-score interactions for correlations between change in volume and raw behavioral scores. Results showed that subjects with PAE had smaller volumes than control subjects across the brain. Significant group-score interactions were found in temporal and parietal regions for WISC arithmetic scores and in frontal and parietal regions for behavioral measures. Poorer cognitive/ behavioral outcomes were associated with larger volume increases in PAE, while control subjects generally showed no significant correlations. In contrast with previous results demonstrating different trajectories of cortical volume change in PAE, our results show similar rates of subcortical volume growth in subjects with PAE and control subjects. We also demonstrate abnormal brain-behavior relationships in subjects with PAE, suggesting different use of brain resources. Our results are encouraging in that, due to the stable volume differences, there may be an extended window of opportunity for intervention in children with PAE.
