Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 22, 2026
The Use of Trace Eyeblink Classical Conditioning to Assess Hippocampal Dysfunction in a Rat Model of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
Published on: August 5, 2017
Prefrontal cortical responses in children with prenatal alcohol-related neurodevelopmental impairment: A functional
Julie A Kable1, Claire D Coles1, 1
1Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA; Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
Insights
Children with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) show distinct prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation patterns during emotional tasks. These differences in brain activity may explain neurobehavioral impairments observed in PAE.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is a leading cause of preventable neurodevelopmental impairment.
- Children with PAE often exhibit difficulties with arousal modulation and executive functions.
- The prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays a crucial role in regulating arousal and cognitive processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate neural activation patterns in the PFC during emotional arousal in children with PAE.
- To compare PFC activity in children with PAE to typically developing controls and a clinical contrast group.
- To identify specific neurobiological mechanisms underlying neurobehavioral deficits in PAE.
Main Methods:
- Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was employed to measure PFC activation.
- Oxygenated hemoglobin (HBO) and deoxygenated hemoglobin (HBR) levels were assessed during a frustration-inducing task.
- Participants included children with PAE (n=18), typically developing controls (n=12), and a clinical contrast group (n=14).
Main Results:
- Children with PAE exhibited reduced PFC activation (lower HBO, higher HBR) during positive emotional arousal compared to controls.
- Control children showed greater differentiation in PFC activity than children with PAE.
- The clinical contrast group displayed the most significant differences in PFC activity between task conditions.
Conclusions:
- Distinct PFC activation patterns differentiate children with PAE from typically developing children and those with other clinical issues.
- fNIRS assessment of PFC activity offers novel insights into the neurobiological underpinnings of PAE-related dysfunction.
- These findings highlight the importance of PFC function in the neurobehavioral outcomes of PAE.
Objective:
Disruption in the neural activation of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in modulating arousal was explored in children with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE), who have known neurobehavioral impairment.
Methods:
During a task that elicits frustration, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to measure PFC activation, specifically levels of oxygenated (HBO) and deoxygenated (HBR) hemoglobin, in children with PAE (n=18) relative to typically developing Controls (n=12) and a Clinical Contrast group with other neurodevelopmental or behavioral problems (n=14).
Results:
Children with PAE had less activation during conditions with positive emotional arousal, as indicated by lower levels of HBO in the medial areas of the PFC and higher levels of HBR in all areas of the PFC sampled relative to both other groups. Children in the Control group demonstrated greater differentiation of PFC activity than did children with PAE. Children in the Clinical Contrast group demonstrated the greatest differences in PFC activity between valences of task conditions.
Conclusions:
Specific patterns of PFC activation differentiated children with PAE from typically developing children and children with other clinical problems.
Significance:
FNIRS assessments of PFC activity provide new insights regarding the mechanisms of commonly seen neurobehavioral dysfunction in children with PAE.
