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Published on: August 5, 2017
Altered Resting-State Neural Oscillations and Spectral Power in Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
Felicha T Candelaria-Cook1, Megan E Schendel1, Lucinda Flynn1
1From the, The Mind Research Network, (FTC, MES, LF, JMS), Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.
Insights
Prenatal alcohol exposure can cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), affecting brain development. This study used MEG to find differences in brain activity in children with FASD, revealing specific spectral power alterations.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) leads to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), encompassing conditions like Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), partial FAS (pFAS), and Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder (ARND).
- PAE is associated with white matter impairments, reduced brain volumes, and altered functional connectivity, detectable via fMRI.
- Magnetoencephalography (MEG) offers high temporal and spatial resolution for analyzing brain activity, but its application to PAE's impact on resting-state spectral power in children is unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of PAE on resting-state spectral power in children using MEG.
- To compare MEG spectral metrics between children with FASD (FAS/pFAS, ARND/PAE) and typically developing children (TDC).
- To explore correlations between MEG spectral data and behavioral measures in children with PAE.
Main Methods:
- Collected 2-minute resting-state MEG data (eyes-open and eyes-closed) from 51 children (8-12 years old).
- Participants were categorized into three groups: ARND/PAE (n=10), FAS/pFAS (n=15), and TDC (n=26).
- Analyzed spectral metrics including power, normalized power, half power, 95% power, and Shannon spectral entropy (SSE), correlating them with behavioral outcomes.
Main Results:
- Children with FAS/pFAS exhibited reduced spectral and normalized power, particularly in the alpha band (parietal and occipital regions), alongside increased half power, 95% power, and SSE.
- Hemisphere-specific effects suggested reduced corpus callosum connectivity in children with FASD.
- While the ARND/PAE group differed from FAS/pFAS, their spectral data often did not significantly differ from TDC.
Conclusions:
- Findings align with prior research and offer novel insights into resting-state oscillatory differences in children with FASD compared to TDC and within FASD subgroups.
- Identified specific spectral power and connectivity alterations in children with FAS/pFAS.
- Understanding these resting-state variations can inform early intervention strategies to improve cognitive function and outcomes for individuals with FASD.
Background:
Consumption of alcohol during pregnancy impacts fetal development and may lead to a variety of physical, cognitive, and behavioral abnormalities in childhood collectively known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). The FASD spectrum includes children with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), partial fetal alcohol syndrome (pFAS), and alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND). Children with a FASD or prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) have impaired white matter, reduced structural volumes, impaired resting-state functional connectivity when measured with fMRI, and spectral hypersynchrony as infants. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) provides high temporal resolution and good spatial precision for examining spectral power and connectivity patterns unique from fMRI. The impact of PAE on MEG resting-state spectral power in children remains unknown.
Methods:
We collected 2 minutes of eyes-open and eyes-closed resting-state data in 51 children (8 to 12 years of age) with 3 subgroups included: 10 ARND/PAE, 15 FAS/pFAS, and 26 controls (TDC). MEG data were collected on the Elekta Neuromag system. The following spectral metrics were compared between subgroups: power, normalized power, half power, 95% power, and Shannon spectral entropy (SSE). MEG spectral data were correlated with behavioral measures.
Results:
Our results indicate children with FAS/pFAS had reduced spectral power and normalized power, particularly within the alpha frequency band in sensor parietal and source superior parietal and lateral occipital regions, along with elevated half power, 95% power, and SSE. We also found select hemisphere specific effects further indicating reduced corpus callosum connectivity in children with a FASD. Interestingly, while the ARND/PAE subgroup had significant differences from the FAS/pFAS subgroup, in many cases spectral data were not significantly different from TDC.
Conclusions:
Our results were consistent with previous studies and provide new insight into resting-state oscillatory differences both between children with FAS and TDC, and within FASD subgroups. Further understanding of these resting-state variations and their impact on cognitive function may help provide early targets for intervention and enhance outcomes for individuals with a FASD.
