Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and White Matter Microstructural Changes Across the First 6-7 Years of Life: A Longitudinal Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study of a South African Birth Cohort

Donald, Kirsten A.; Hendrikse, Clint; Roos, Annerine; Wedderburn, Catherine J.; Subramoney, Sivenesi; Ringshaw, Jessica E; Bradford, L. DiAnne; Hoffman, Nadia; Burd, Tiffany; Narr, Katherine L.; Woods, Roger P.; Zar, Heather J.; Joshi, Shantanu H.; Stein, Dan J.

doi:10.2139/ssrn.4485262

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…These behavioral difficulties emerge in the context of PAE-related brain differences (Donald et al, 2015; Lebel et al, 2011; Moore & Xia, 2022). Reduced white matter and gray matter volume (Nardelli et al, 2011; Subramoney et al, 2022), altered microstructure and developmental trajectories (Donald et al, 2024; Gimbel et al, 2023; Kar et al, 2021, 2022; M. Long et al, 2024; X. Long & Lebel, 2022), and disrupted structural and functional connectivity (X.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Altered markers of brain metabolism and excitability are associated with executive functioning in young children exposed to alcoholin utero

Perdue,

Ghasoub,

Long

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is the leading known cause of birth defects and cognitive disabilities, with impacts on brain development and executive functioning. Abnormalities in structural and functional brain features are well-documented in children with PAE, but the effects of PAE on brain metabolism in children have received less attention. Levels of brain metabolites can be measured non-invasively using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Here, we present the first study of PAE-related brain metabolite differences in early childhood (ages 3-8 years) and their associations with cognitive performance, including executive functioning (EF) and pre-reading skills. We measured metabolites in two cohorts of children with PAE and unexposed children using MRS in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC; cohort 1) and left temporo-parietal cortex (LTP; cohort 2). Total choline (tCho), a marker of membrane/myelin metabolism, was elevated in both regions in children with PAE compared to UC, and glutamate+glutamine (Glx), a marker of excitability, was elevated in the ACC. The PAE group exhibited more difficulties with EF, and higher tCho was associated with better EF in both PAE and unexposed groups. In addition, elevated Glx in the ACC was associated with poorer inhibitory control within the PAE group only. LTP metabolites were not significantly associated with pre-reading skills in PAE or unexposed groups. Together, these findings point to altered membrane metabolism and excitability in young children with PAE. These findings provide new insight to potential mechanisms by which PAE disrupts brain development and cognitive functioning in early childhood.

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