Developmental Trajectories for Visuo-Spatial Attention are Altered by Prenatal Alcohol Exposure: A Longitudinal FMRI Study

Abstract

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) reveals brain activation abnormalities during visuo-spatial attention and working memory among those with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) in cross-sectional reports, but little is known about how activation changes over time during development within FASD or typically developing children. We studied 30 controls and 31 individuals with FASD over 2 years (7-14 years at first participation) with a total of 122 scans, as part of the Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. Despite comparable performance, there were significant group differences in visuo-spatial activation over time bilaterally in frontal, parietal, and temporal regions. Controls showed an increase in signal intensity in these multiple regions whereas FASD participants showed a decrease in brain activation. Effects were also found in 2 small independent samples from the USA, corroborating the findings from the larger group. Results suggest that the long-lasting effect of prenatal alcohol may impact the maturation of visuo-spatial attention and differentiate those with FASD from controls. Based on this first longitudinal fMRI study in FASD children, our novel findings suggest a possible neural mechanism for attention deficits common among individuals with FASD.

Parietal dysfunction during number processing in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

“…Since working memory and attention, which are also mediated, in part, by the parietal lobes (e.g., Ravizza et al, 2004 ; Diwadkar et al, 2013 ), contribute substantially to number processing performance, impairments in these domains may play a role in the number processing deficits observed in FASD. Moreover, two studies have reported reduced activation in working memory tasks in individuals with FASD compared to controls in posterior parietal regions close to the PSPL ROI used in our study ( Astley et al, 2009 ; Gautam et al, 2014 ). The specific section of the IPS found to mediate the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on number processing in this study has, however, not been implicated in working memory or attention per se.…”

Radiological studies of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in humans and animal models: An updated comprehensive review

“…considerably lower activation levels in the regions of greatest activity in a typically developing child, including the right inferior frontal gyrus, right posterior parietal lobe, right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and right middle frontal gyrus [105], the superior frontal and parietal lobes [106], the temporal lobe [107], and the basal ganglia [108].…”

Executive function and cortical thickness in youths prenatally exposed to cocaine, alcohol and tobacco

“…Effects on brain structure due to PAE include smaller and reduced gray matter ( Archibald et al, 2001 , Lebel et al, 2012 ); and reduced white matter volumes ( Gautam et al, 2014 ) in children and adolescents. Abnormalities in cortical thickness ( Zhou et al, 2011 , Sowell et al, 2008 ) as well differential longitudinal trajectories of brain activation ( Gautam, in press ) of the frontal, temporal, and parietal regions have also been documented in those with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD).…”