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Published on: July 13, 2014
Brain volume and magnetic susceptibility differences in children and adolescents with prenatal alcohol exposure
Daphne Nakhid1,2,3, Carly McMorris2,3,4,5, Hongfu Sun6
1Department of Neuroscience, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Insights
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) may alter brain iron levels and reduce brain structure volumes in children and adolescents. These brain changes are linked to cognitive and behavioral deficits associated with PAE.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Radiology
Background:
- Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) adversely impacts brain development, leading to cognitive, behavioral, and mental health issues.
- Brain iron is crucial for neurodevelopment, and animal studies suggest PAE reduces brain iron.
- This study investigates brain iron susceptibility and volume in human children with PAE.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine differences in brain iron susceptibility and regional volumes between children with and without PAE.
- To explore the relationship between brain iron susceptibility and intelligence quotient (IQ) in children with PAE.
Main Methods:
- Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) and T1-weighted MRI scans were performed on 20 children with PAE and 44 controls (ages 7.5-15).
- Susceptibility and volume of specific brain regions (caudate, putamen, pallidum, thalamus, amygdala, hippocampus, nucleus accumbens) were analyzed.
- Statistical analyses (ANCOVAs) compared groups, controlling for age and gender, and assessed IQ associations.
Main Results:
- No significant group differences in brain susceptibility were found after multiple comparison correction.
- The PAE group showed reduced volumes in the bilateral caudate, bilateral pallidum, and left putamen.
- A trend towards higher thalamus susceptibility in the PAE group was observed before correction, with no IQ association.
Conclusions:
- Brain susceptibility may be altered in children with PAE, warranting further investigation.
- Reduced brain volumes in specific regions are consistent with prior research and may explain cognitive/behavioral deficits in PAE.
- This study highlights potential neuroanatomical consequences of PAE in children.
Background:
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can negatively affect brain development thereby increasing the risk of cognitive deficits, behavioral challenges, and mental health problems. Brain iron is important for a number of physiological processes for healthy brain development. Animal studies show that PAE reduced brain iron; however, this has not been investigated in human children with PAE.
Methods:
We studied 20 children and adolescents with PAE and 44 unexposed children and adolescents aged 7.5 to 15 years. All children underwent quantitative susceptibility mapping and T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging scans. Susceptibility and volume measurements of the caudate, putamen, pallidum, thalamus, amygdala, hippocampus, and nucleus accumbens were extracted using FreeSurfer. ANCOVAs were used to compare volume and susceptibility between groups for each region of interest, controlling for age and gender. For structures where susceptibility differed by group, we also tested for an association between intelligence quotient (IQ) and susceptibility.
Results:
There were no significant group differences in susceptibility after multiple comparison correction, though the PAE group had higher susceptibility in the thalamus compared to unexposed participants before correction (p = 0.032, q = 0.230). There was no association between IQ and thalamus susceptibility. The PAE group had significantly lower volume in the bilateral caudate, bilateral pallidum, and left putamen.
Conclusions:
These findings suggest susceptibility may be altered in children and adolescents with PAE, though more research is needed. Volume reductions are consistent with previous literature and likely underlie cognitive and behavioral deficits associated with PAE.
