Research

rffada acknowledges and thanks the work of EUFASD in sourcing and compiling international research.

17 September 2023

Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research – Factors to be considered as part of a holistic assessment for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: A scoping review
Areas to be considered as part of a holistic assessment and diagnostic process spanned individual, family, and system level factors.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/acer.15191

University of Guelph – An Examination of the Experiences and Needs of Individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) who have Criminal Legal System Contact
People with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) often experience inadequate supports, which can lead to an increased risk of becoming involved in the criminal legal system (CLS).
https://atrium.lib.uoguelph.ca/items/f8065db2-ecfe-41b7-b031-2823e57bf1db

Reproductive Toxicology – Maternal Dietary Intake Among Alcohol-Exposed Pregnancies Is Linked to Early Infant Physical Outcomes in South Africa
Maternal dietary intake is likely a contributing factor to fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). Two, 24-hour dietary recalls were completed by pregnant women (n=196) in South African communities with high rates of FASD.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0890623823001417

International Journal of Molecular Sciences – Effects of In Utero EtOH Exposure on 18S Ribosomal RNA Processing: Contribution to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are leading causes of neurodevelopmental disability. The mechanisms by which alcohol (EtOH) disrupts fetal brain development are incompletely understood, as are the genetic factors that modify individual vulnerability.
https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/18/13714

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health – Epigenetics of Trauma Transmission and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: What Does the Evidence Support?
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) results from teratogenic impacts of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Trauma and prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can both cause neurodevelopmental impairment, and it has been proposed that FASD can amplify effects of trauma.
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/17/6706

Learning from 50 Years of Aboriginal Alcohol Programs – Meeting the Challenge of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) is a major source of neurodevelopmental impairment among both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians.
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-99-0401-3_8

Drug and Alcohol Review – Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men: A discussion to be had
In this paper, we discuss several areas for increased involvement by Indigenous men in future FASD research, prevention, care and support.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/dar.13743

iScience – Prenatal Alcohol Alters Inflammatory Signatures In Enteric Portal Tissues Following Adult-Onset Cerebrovascular Ischemic Stroke
Collectively, PAE inhibits brain inflammation, but results in an inflammatory signature in enteric portal tissues after stroke, suggesting that PAE persistently and adversely impacts the gut-brain axis following adult onset disease.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004223019971

University of Malta – Prenatal alcohol exposure and risk of foetal loss
This review has concluded that whilst there is a definite increase in the rates of foetal death when a pregnant mother is exposed to alcohol, inconsistencies exist regarding the most detrimental factor, including the type of alcohol, amount, frequency, dose, or gestational age at exposure.
https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/112818

Australian & New Zealand Journal of Statistics – Bayesian modelling of effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on child cognition based on data from multiple cohorts
High levels of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) result in significant cognitive deficits in children, but the exact nature of the dose-response relationship is less well understood.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/anzs.12397

Pediatric Research – Impact of low-level prenatal alcohol exposure and maternal stress on autonomic regulation
Alterations in ANS regulation associated with PAE and maternal stress may reflect abnormal development of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and have long term implications for infant responsiveness and self-regulation.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41390-023-02799-5

NeuroImmune Pharmacology and Therapeutics – Prenatal and adolescent alcohol exposure, neuroinflammation, and Alzheimer’s disease: a network meta analysis approach
This review highlights the necessity of recognizing developmental alcohol exposure as a potential risk factor for AD and shed light on the underlying mechanisms that may contribute to alcohol-induced neurotoxicity.
https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/nipt-2023-0003/html

The FASEB Journal – Alcohol blunts pregnancy-mediated insulin resistance and reduces fetal brain glucose despite elevated fetal gluconeogenesis, and these changes associate with fetal weight outcomes
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) impairs fetal growth and neurodevelopment. Although alcohol is well known to alter metabolism, its impact on these processes during pregnancy is largely unexplored.
https://faseb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1096/fj.202300788R

Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research – Spiral drawing deficits in children with prenatal alcohol exposure
The drawing skills of children with prenatal alcohol exposure have inherent signal characteristics that differ significantly from those produced by typically developing peers.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/acer.15182

Frontiers in Psychiatry – Reducing the risk of prenatal alcohol exposure and FASD through social services: promising results from the FAR SEAS pilot project
Changing risky behaviors (alcohol consumption and sex without contraception) to prevent alcohol exposed pregnancies is feasible at the local level, even without engagement of medical professionals.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1243904/full?utm_source=S-TWT&utm_medium=SNET&utm_campaign=ECO_FPSYT_XXXXXXXX_auto-dlvrit

3 September 2023

Child: Care, Health and Development – Establishing a multidisciplinary specialist centre for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders—Lessons learned from a model project in Germany
Our service was used by both caregivers and professionals who reported numerous and complex concerns and needs. Professionally sound and multidisciplinary services are viable instruments to meet those needs, bearing the potential for quick and notable relief among individuals affected.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cch.13143

Res Dev Disabil – Prognostic factors for long-term outcome in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Even though our results need to be interpreted with caution due to methodological limitations such as the use of a convenience sample and limited statistical power, they imply that severely affected children with FASD experience a less stable environment.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36924617/

Applied Sciences – Assessment of the Central Nervous System in Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Using Magnetic Resonance (MR) Techniques. The analysis of the present findings in the study group showed that brain MRI examinations of children with FASD more often identified a decreased corpus callosum and 1H MRS and DWI abnormalities, particularly in the region of basal ganglia.
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/12/7303

Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) – Molecular Basis of Disease – Neuroinflammation in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and related novel therapeutic approaches. Despite evidence of its importance, neuroinflammation is not usually considered at diagnosis or treatment for FASD. Here, we discuss the literature regarding anti- inflammatory drugs and nutraceuticals, which hold promise for future therapeutical interventions in these disorders.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S092544392300220X

BMC Proceedings – Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders prevention and clinical guidelines research-workshop report
It is estimated that up to 1 in 20 people in the United States are affected by fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), an array of cognitive, emotional, physical and social disorders caused by exposure to alcohol during prenatal development.
https://bmcproc.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12919-023-00272-z

Alcohol – Proceedings of the 2022 Annual Meeting of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Study Group
The 2022 Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Study Group (FASDSG) meeting was held in coordination with the 45th annual Research Society on Alcoholism conference on June 25th, 2022.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0741832923002549

eClinicalMedicine – Parental substance use disorder and risk of intellectual disability in offspring in Sweden: a national register study. Both paternal and maternal SUD were associated with an increased risk of ID in offspring, with greatest risk observed when AUD was diagnosed during pregnancy.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589537023003474

International Indigenous Policy Journal – Client Perceptions of an FASD-Informed Indigenous Restorative Justice Program. Individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) can experience multiple layers of adversity that increase vulnerability to justice involvement.
https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/iipj/article/view/14843

Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research – Prenatal alcohol exposure and cognition at midlife: Evidence of fluid cognition deficits in two cohorts. While all participants with PAE had lower fluid cognition, those with PAE and dysmorphic features also exhibited specific deficits in their performance on measures of inhibition, attention, and cognitive flexibility.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/acer.15177

Alcohol and Alcoholism – Pregnancy-specific alcohol policies and admissions to substance use disorder treatment for pregnant people in the USA. Pregnancy-specific alcohol policies related to greater treatment admissions tend to mandate treatment rather than make voluntary treatment more accessible, raising questions of ethics and effectiveness.
https://academic.oup.com/alcalc/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/alcalc/agad056/7250138

BMC Medicine – Alcohol exposure before and during pregnancy is associated with reduced fetal growth: the Safe Passage Study
This study demonstrated that PAE negatively affects fetal growth, in particular when exposed during the periconception period or in second trimester.
https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-023-03020-4

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth – Associations between prenatal alcohol and tobacco exposure on Doppler flow velocity waveforms in pregnancy: a South African study. In our study, PTE in trimesters two and three resulted in increased vascular resistance of the placenta. These findings highlight nuance in associations between PAE, PTE and blood flow velocities in arteries of the fetal-placental-maternal circulation and birth weight, suggesting that quantity and timing are important factors in these relationships.
https://bmcpregnancychildbirth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12884-023-05881-2

Western University – Offspring Susceptibility of Developing Depressive-like Phenotypes and Metabolic Dysfunction Following Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Juvenile Stress in a Mouse Model
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is the leading preventable cause of adverse fetal outcomes. Individuals with PAE are susceptible to developing secondary deficits such as depression and metabolic disorders.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/9457/

International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction – Relationship Between Criminal and Status Offense Behaviors, Substance Use, and HIV Risk Among Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Cape Town, South Africa. This study aimed to examine the relationship between externalizing behaviors, substance use, and sexual risk among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Cape Town, South Africa, who experience social disadvantage characterized by poverty and school dropout.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11469-023-01130-x

University of Exeter – Application of fish models for studying mechanisms of human fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). In this project, embryos from two small fish species, zebrafish (freshwater) and Arabian killifish (AKF) (seawater and brackish water), have been used as suitable models to study the mechanism of human fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs).
https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/handle/10871/133848

Aten Primaria – Considerations for the design and implementation of interventions for the cessation of tobacco, alcohol and cannabis use in pregnancy: A qualitative study. The conclusion is that this intervention should be carried out at the level of prenatal care in primary care. There are doubts regarding the frequency, purpose, and follow-up of this multicomponent intervention, as well as the possibility of incorporating couples.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37573833/

European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience – Effects of prenatal alcohol exposition on cognitive outcomes in childhood and youth: a longitudinal analysis based on meconium ethyl glucuronide. Subclinical PAE, as determined by meconium EtG, has negative developmental consequences on cognitive function that persist from childhood to adolescence.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00406-023-01657-z

American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology MFM – Clinician views on reporting pregnant and birthing patients who use alcohol and/or drugs to child welfare. Participants agreed with most, but not, all child welfare reporting decisions. When participants disagreed or felt conflicted with reporting decisions, these feelings were almost entirely related to decisions to report, which, in some cases, were prompted by hospital or state policies. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589933323002513

14 August 2023

Europe PMC – Protecting the future child: Foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, easy rescue and the regulation of maternal behaviour
This paper argues that social contexts of inequality are crucial to understanding the ethics of gestational harm and responsibility. Recent debates on gestational harm have largely ignored the social context of gestators, including contexts of inequality and injustice.
https://europepmc.org/article/med/37552468

bioRxiv – Impacts of early exposure to ethanol on adenosine functioning in zebrafish
These results demonstrated that even a short and specific exposure to ethanol can promote, even if mild, effects on neuronal modulation, increasing susceptibility to seizures.
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.03.551856v1.abstract

Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research – Results of an fetal alcohol spectrum disorders screening tool are associated with neuropsychological and behavioral measures
The results support the effectiveness of the FASD-Tree as a screening tool for use in clinical settings, providing an efficient and accurate way to identify patients in need of additional evaluation.
https://experts.umn.edu/en/publications/results-of-an-fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorders-screening-tool-are

European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience – Effects of prenatal alcohol exposition on cognitive outcomes in childhood and youth: a longitudinal analysis based on meconium ethyl glucuronide
Subclinical PAE, as determined by meconium EtG, has negative developmental consequences on cognitive function that persist from childhood to adolescence.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00406-023-01657-z

Journal of Women’s Health – Polysubstance Use in Pregnancy: Surveillance, Interventions, and Next Steps
Polysubstance use is common among people who use substances during pregnancy; however, the risks of combined substance exposures during pregnancy are poorly understood.
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/jwh.2023.0341

University of the Western Cape – Examining the factors associated with substance use during pregnancy in low socio-economic status communities in the Western Cape province, South Africa
Substance use in South Africa, specifically in the Western Cape remains a huge social problem for the entire population generally and pregnant women in particular given their unique vulnerabilities.
https://etd.uwc.ac.za/handle/11394/10432

JAMA network Open – Association of Pregnancy-Specific Alcohol Policies With Infant Morbidities and Maltreatment
The primary outcomes were 1 or more infant injuries associated with maltreatment and infant morbidities associated with maternal alcohol consumption within the first year.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/article-abstract/2807932

Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology – Clinician views on reporting pregnant and birthing patients who use alcohol and/or drugs to child welfare
Participants agreed with most, but not, all child welfare reporting decisions. When participants disagreed or felt conflicted with reporting decisions, these feelings were almost entirely related to decisions to report, which, in some cases, were prompted by hospital or state policies.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589933323002513

he following links to research are provided courtesy of EUFASD for which we are grateful.

30 July 2023

Nature – The role of PPAR-γ in memory deficits induced by prenatal and lactation alcohol exposure in mice
Patients diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) show persistent cognitive disabilities, including memory deficits. However, the neurobiological substrates underlying these deficits remain unclear.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-023-02191-z

Obstetrics and Gynecology – Long-term consequences of the effect of alcohol on the fetus
the dissemination of modern information and the transfer of knowledge to pregnant women and reproductive-aged women by physicians, psychologists, social pedagog-ists, and social workers about the irreparable harm of their alcohol use done to the child are extremely important to prevent FAS and FASDs.
https://journals.eco-vector.com/0300-9092/article/view/562846

Frontiers in Neuroscience – Brain Structural Differences in Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and its Subtypes
This study confirmed prior results indicating decreased brain volume in children with an FASD and extended the results by demonstrating differential effects by structure for FASD subtypes.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1152038/abstract

Frontiers in Neuroscience – In Utero Ethanol Exposure Induces Mitochondrial DNA Damage and Inhibits mtDNA Repair in Developing Brain
The correlation between mtDNA damage and small eye size suggests that the amount of damaged mtDNA in FB-E may serve as a marker to predict which at risk fetuses will be born with FASD. Moreover, IGF-1 might reduce EtOH-caused mtDNA damage and neuronal apoptosis.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1214958/abstract

Research Square – Perspectives of French General Practitioners Regarding their Role in Detecting Alcohol Consumption in Pregnant Women and Identifying Individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: A Qualitative Study
The GPs reported obstacles to identify FASD: challenges in addressing taboos and paradoxical injunctions in society, the influence of limited knowledge and experience, non-specific and highly varying symptoms, ambiguous classification and method of diagnosis involving the mobilization of a multidisciplinary team and lengthy consultations.
https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-3157430/v1

npj Digital Medicine – FASDetect as a machine learning-based screening app for FASD in youth with ADHD
Fetal alcohol-spectrum disorder (FASD) is underdiagnosed and often misdiagnosed as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Here, we develop a screening tool for FASD in youth with ADHD symptoms.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41746-023-00864-1

SSRN – “I Saw Guns and Sharp Swords in the Hands of Young Children”: Why Mental Health Courts for Juveniles with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum/Disorder Are Needed
In this article, we offer – we believe for the first time in the scholarly literature — a potentially (at least partially) ameliorative solution to the problems faced by persons with autism(ASD) and fetal alcohol syndrome/disorder (FAS/FASD) in the criminal justice system: the creation of (separate sets of) problem-solving juvenile mental health courts specifically to deal with cases of juveniles in the criminal justice system with ASD, and with FAS/FASD.
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4515470

Journal of Medical Internet Research – Predicting Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Using Machine Learning Techniques: Multisite Retrospective Cohort Study
Machine learning algorithms were able to identify FAS risk with a prediction performance higher than that of previous models among pregnant drinkers.
https://www.jmir.org/2023/1/e45041/

Pharmacological Research – Neural crest cells and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: Mechanisms and potential targets for prevention
This review article provides an overview of the current knowledge on the detrimental effects of ethanol on NCC induction, migration, differentiation, and survival.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1043661823002116

Birth Defects Research – Vision outcomes in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
An association between strabismus and FASD, specifically partial FAS, suggests that the effect of alcohol exposure on risk of strabismus must be severe enough to result in facial features consistent with FASD.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/bdr2.2223

Women’s Health Issues – Prenatal Alcohol Counseling Among American Indian and Alaska Native Women and Non-Hispanic White Women in the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System
Although race was not associated with prenatal alcohol use, AI/AN women were more likely than NHW women to be counseled about prenatal alcohol exposure. Factors associated with counseling receipt differed between the two groups.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1049386723001202

Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research – Understanding the impacts of childhood adversity on sleep problems in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: A comparison of cumulative and dimensional approaches
Exposure to postnatal adversity contributes to sleep disturbances in children with FASD, with unique roles for cumulative risk and the threat dimension of adversity.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/acer.15152

Journal of Family Violence – Co-occurring Substance use and Intimate Partner Violence in Pregnant and Postpartum Women: A Systematic Literature Review
We conclude that there is a continued need for studies which seek specifically to include an analysis of substance use disorders among pregnant and postpartum women experiencing IPV, with a particular need for studies which place opioid use disorder as a central focus.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10896-023-00609-4

Patient Education and Counseling – Reflections of maternity service users and midwives’ on the co-creation of interventions to support midwives addressing alcohol during antenatal care
This evaluation provides new knowledge on how well the co-creation process worked in relation to research involving a sensitive topic that can invite stigma. Co-creation projects require generous time and financial resources to ensure a high-quality process and robust outcome for all.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0738399123002768

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health – Vascular Effects, Potential Pathways and Mediators of Fetal Exposure to Alcohol and Cigarette Smoking during Pregnancy: A Narrative Review
While maternal smoking and alcohol consumption have more negative outcomes on the infant in the short term, several factors during the first few years of life may mediate the development of vascular dysfunction.
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/14/6398

Behavioral Sciences – Impulsivity and Alcohol Use during Pregnancy and Postpartum: Insights from Novel Methodological Approaches within the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic
This research supports the idea that impulsivity varies based on individual situations, such as stress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, and may be an important correlate of substance use in pregnant and postpartum women.
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/13/7/600

Journal of Child and Family Studies – Development and Pre-Feasibility Testing of SPECIFiC: A Psychoeducation Programme for Caregivers of Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
A growing number of evidence-based services are available for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), but few focus on caregiver psychoeducation.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10826-023-02637-6

16 July 2023

Frontiers in Neuroscience – Effects of Genetics and Sex on Adolescent Behaviors Following Neonatal Ethanol Exposure in BXD Recombinant Inbred Strains
Overall, we identified effects of ethanol exposure, strain, and/or sex on multiple behavioral measures. Interestingly, the strains that showed the most effects of postnatal ethanol exposure on adolescent behavior were the BXD strains that show high ethanol-induced cell death in the neonatal hippocampus, consistent with our hypothesis.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1197292/abstract

Europe PMC – The trauma experiences of children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: Developmental outcomes utilizing a threat/deprivation child adversity framework
Unique patterns of behavior are found in children with FASD when analyzing the impact of traumatic experiences through a threat/deprivation framework. The combination of both threat and deprivation experiences lends to worse outcomes overall.
https://europepmc.org/article/med/37423769

University of Bristol – Addressing the fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) ‘data gap’. Multi-method and multi-disciplinary public engagement to ascertain the acceptability and feasibility of establishing the first UK National linked database for FASD
Multi-method and multidisciplinary stakeholder engagement demonstrated the feasibility and acceptability of establishing the first UK national linked database for FASD.
https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/publications/addressing-the-fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorder-fasd-data-gap-mult

Frontiers in Public Health – An Evaluation of a Multi-site Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Models of Care Project
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) continues to be underdiagnosed in Australia, partly due to the lack of trained clinicians and diagnostic services.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1195484/abstract

Genes – ADH1B, ADH1B/C and CYP2E1 Gene Polymorphism and the Risk of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
Increasing alcohol consumption by women of childbearing age contributes to more frequent cases of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. The cause of the syndrome is fetal alcohol exposure, particularly what is referred to as high prenatal alcohol exposure.
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/14/7/1392

University of Salford – Exploring the Vulnerabilities of Individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders to, and within, Criminal Justice System Encounters
There is a need for the CJS to establish whether suspects, witnesses, and victims of crimes may have been impacted by prenatal alcohol exposure, since this can lead to significant vulnerability.
https://salford-repository.worktribe.com/output/1685797/exploring-the-vulnerabilities-of-individuals-with-fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorders-to-and-within-criminal-justice-system-encounters

The Journal of Sexual Medicine – Sexual Issues Due to Comorbidities in Individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
There has been very little empirical research on the role of FASD in inappropriate sexual behavior. In addition, environmental factors associated with prenatal alcohol exposure may play a role in the increased incidence of inappropriate sexual behaviors.
https://academic.oup.com/jsm/article-abstract/20/Supplement_3/qdad068.036/7208372

Fortune Journals – Maternal Blood Lipid Biomarkers of Oligodendrocyte Pathology to Predict Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
MBP and FFAR levels were reduced in OL-Es from EtOH[1]consuming pregnant women. The data suggest potential therapeutic targets to predict which children are at risk for developing FASD and reduce dysmyelination in developing.
https://fortunepublish.com/articles/10.26502.ogr0122.pdf

African Journal of Psychology – Computer-based cognitive training for cognitive development of alcohol-exposed children in South Africa: a feasibility randomised control trial
Children exposed to alcohol in utero may suffer from cognitive and physical sequelae. The most impactful damage in terms of daily functioning is to higher order cognitive functions involved in planning and goal-directed behaviour, referred to as executive functions.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/00812463231186266

medRxiv – 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
This study highlights the value of repeated early imaging in longitudinal studies of PAE, and focus for early childhood as a critical window of potential susceptibility as well as an opportunity for early intervention.
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.06.30.23292077v1

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth – Rapid urine screening for ethyl glucuronide from pregnant women as a tool for detecting prenatal alcohol exposure
Rapid EtG tests may be an easy and inexpensive method, which may improve the possibilities for screening alcohol use among pregnant women during routine prenatal visits. Quantitative EtG analyses are recommended to confirm screening positive and uncertain cases.
https://bmcpregnancychildbirth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12884-023-05789-x

Adversity and Resilience Science – Unsettling Settler Colonialism in Research: Strategies Centering Native American Experience and Expertise in Responding to Substance Misuse and Co-occurring Sexual Risk-Taking, Alcohol-Exposed Pregnancy, and Suicide Prevention Among Young People
Native American (NA) populations in the USA (i.e., those native to the USA which include Alaska Natives, American Indians, and Native Hawaiians) have confronted unique historical, sociopolitical, and environmental stressors born of settler colonialism.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42844-023-00100-5

Scientific Reports – Characteristic associated with alcohol drinking in early pregnancy: a cross sectional study
Public persuasive campaigns can be used to reach the general public, especially women of childbearing age, before they start planning to conceive, but also their partners, since women with partners consuming alcohol, did show to be more likely to consume alcohol during pregnancy.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-38055-3

European Journal of Midwifery – Opening Pandora’s box: A meta-ethnography about alcohol use in pregnancy from midwives’ and other healthcare providers’ perspectives
Healthcare education has the important task of ensuring that healthcare personnel have sufficient evidence-based knowledge about alcohol use in pregnancy.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10316433/

Adversity and Resilience Science – Addressing Prenatal Alcohol and Other Drug Exposure in Tribal Child Welfare: an Environmental Scan
Tribal communities face critical challenges in identifying and addressing substance use by pregnant women. These challenges are often exacerbated by limited resources for services and limited research on effective interventions.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42844-023-00101-4

Frontiers in Neuroscience – Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adults with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD): Linking immune function to mental health status
Taken together, to our knowledge, this study is the first to examine the impact of the pandemic in adults with FASD. And while it may be too soon to predict the long-term effects of the pandemic on mental health, our data suggest that it will be important that future work also takes into account how immune function may be modulating mental health outcomes in this population.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1214100/abstract Frontiers in Neuroscience – A tornado in the family: fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and aggression during childhood and adolescence: a scoping review
Following from this review of the literature, we argue that aggression is a related but separate construct from other behavioral problems most frequently targeted by parenting interventions.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1176695/full

26 June 2023

The Journal of Clinical Investigation – Preconception paternal ethanol exposures induce alcohol-related craniofacial growth deficiencies in fetal offspring
Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is characterized by a range of structural birth defects, including facial dysmorphia, central nervous system growth deficits (microcephaly), and prenatal/postnatal growth restriction, which correlate with the magnitude of prenatal alcohol exposure. Although exclusively attributed to the maternal consumption of alcohol during pregnancy, multiple clinical studies and case reports have emerged describing instances in which infants presenting with alcohol-related birth defects were born to mothers who denied consuming alcohol during pregnancy.
https://www.jci.org/articles/view/167624?utm_campaign=cover-page&utm_content=short_url&utm_medium=pdf&utm_source=content

Journal of Integrative Neuroscience – Enhancing Understanding of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) across the Globe.This Special Issue ‘Enhancing understanding of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) across the globe’ aims to increase our knowledge in research relevant to FASD, mechanistic insights, prevention, and comorbid conditions. https://www.imrpress.com/journal/JIN/special_issues/FASD

Adaptive Functioning – Prevalence of Epilepsy and Pathological Eeg Findings in a Norwegian Sample of Children with Fasd: Impact on Cognition, Adaptive Functioning
There was an increased prevalence of epilepsy. A high number of children in all FASD subgroups had pathological EEG-findings, even in absence of an epilepsy. Irrespective of epilepsy, ADHD and FASD subgroup, children with frontal EEG pathologies showed significantly reduced processing speed and working memory, which may indicate clinical significance and a possible target for intervention.
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4473329

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders – Dog-Assisted Therapy vs Relaxation for Children and Adolescents with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Study
The rationale of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of Dog-assisted Therapy (DAT) in children and adolescents with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-023-06023-5

Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research – Results of an FASD screening tool are associated with neuropsychological and behavioral measures
Results from the FASD-Tree screening tool were associated with neuropsychological and behavioral outcomes. Participants classified as FASD-Positive were more likely to have impairment in all domains tested. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/acer.15133

Frontiers in Neuroscience – Behavioral Changes in FPR2/ALX and Chemr23 Receptor Knockout Mice Are Exacerbated by Prenatal Alcohol Exposure
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) causes neuroinflammation that may contribute to the pathophysiology underlying Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1187220/abstract

Journal of Exercise Science – Efficacy of a 6-week Novel Exergaming Intervention Guided by Heart Rate Zones on Aerobic Performance in Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Feasibility Study
he purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of a novel exergaming intervention guided by heart rate zones for children and adolescents with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijes/vol16/iss3/6/

bioRxiv – Prenatal alcohol exposure alters expression of genes involved in cell adhesion, immune response, and toxin metabolism in adolescent rat hippocampus
Alcohol exposure during fetal development is associated with a wide range of behavioral and physical symptoms that can be observed from childhood throughout adolescence and beyond.
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.06.12.544533v1.abstract

Research in Developmental Disabilities – Parental scaffolding in play: A comparison of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and autism spectrum disorder
This preliminary exploratory study suggests that parents of children with developmental disabilities may differentially ‘match’ their child’s play level. Further research on developmental play levels during parent-child play is warranted. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0891422223001312

Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience – Contextualizing The Impact of Prenatal Alcohol and Tobacco Exposure on Neurodevelopment in a South African Birth Cohort: An Analysis from the Socioecological Perspective. Research on neurodevelopment following community-levels of PAE and PTE should more regularly consider the ecological context to accelerate understanding of teratogenic outcomes.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnint.2023.1104788/abstract

bioRxiv – The influence of prenatal alcohol exposure and maternal diet on offspring DNA methylation: a cross-species study. Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is associated with changes to offspring DNA methylation and adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes.
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.06.15.544516v2.abstract

5 June 2023

International Journal of Drug Policy – Accounts of women identified as drinking at ‘high risk’ during pregnancy: A meta-ethnography of missing voices
This meta-ethnography provides a more nuanced understanding of the complex dynamics involved in women’s ‘high risk’ drinking during pregnancy, the contexts in which they drink and their unmet needs.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0955395923001093

Frontiers in Neuroscience – Prenatal alcohol exposure alters mRNA expression for stress peptides, glucocorticoid receptor function and immune factors in acutely stressed neonatal brain
The amygdala, hippocampus and hypothalamus are critical stress regulatory areas that undergo functional maturation for stress responding initially established during gestational and early postnatal brain development. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1203557/abstract

Loughborough University – Animation-based learning for individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD).The purpose of this thesis is to explore the animation production process and determine alignment and suitability to best practice educational approaches for an identified user group, in order to propose an engaging, multisensory educational intervention centred around creative storytelling and animation film making.
https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/thesis/Animation-based_learning_for_individuals_with_Fetal_Alcohol_Spectrum_Disorders_FASD_/22963103

Frontiers in Pediatrics – A Systematic review: Facial, dental and orthodontic findings and orofacial diagnostics in patients with FAS(D)
This review shows that to date a multitude of heterogeneous guidelines exists for the diagnosis of FASD. Uniform, objective diagnostic criteria and parameters for the orofacial region in FASD diagnosis are needed. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fped.2023.1169570/abstract

Frontiers in Neuroscience – Microbiota and nutrition as risk and resiliency factors following prenatal alcohol exposure. The combined evidence from alcohol exposure in adulthood and from other neurodevelopmental disorders supports the hypothesis that gut microbiota dysbiosis is likely an etiological feature that contributes to negative developmental, including neurodevelopmental, consequences of PAE and results in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1182635/abstract

The Pennsylvania State University – The Effects of Choline Supplementation on Blood Pressure Regulation in a Mouse Model of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
We analyzed the cardiovascular effects of PAE through blood pressure within mice models. Sex differences for blood pressures between male and female mice in models of FASD were significant, and choline has effects on blood pressure at week 12 and 24.
https://scholarsphere.psu.edu/resources/bd359414-3f89-4c9d-8bd0-55d1c23b29ae

medRxiv – Functional connectivity of cognition-related brain networks in adults with fetal alcohol syndrome. FC in cognition-related brain networks was altered in adults with FAS. Effects were widely distributed across these networks, potentially reflecting the diversity of cognitive deficits in these individuals.
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.05.18.23289319v1

Physiology – Paternal alcohol consumption as a modulator of FASD in a mouse model
Recent compelling evidence for periconceptional environmental factors experienced by both parents and their influence on offspring health has highlighted the need for further research into paternal contributions to FASD.
https://journals.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/physiol.2023.38.S1.5780717

American Psychological Association – Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder evidence in Canadian criminal cases: A case law review. Increasing evidence highlights the relevance and frequent consideration of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) in Canadian criminal legal cases, though systematic evaluation of the impact of such evidence on legal outcomes remains limited.
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2023-74139-001

Neuropharmacology – Impaired cognitive control after moderate prenatal alcohol exposure corresponds to altered EEG power during a rodent touchscreen continuous performance task
These findings suggest that moderate exposure to alcohol during development can have long lasting effects on cognitive control, and task-relevant neural signals may provide a biomarker of impaired function across species.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0028390823001892

Alcohol Research: Current Reviews – Identifying Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Children Affected by It: A Review of Biomarkers and Screening Tools. Biomarkers and screening tools of PAE and its impact fall short of ideal predictive validity characteristics. Higher specificity than sensitivity was found for many of the biomarkers and screening tools used to identify PAE and its impact, suggesting that current methods continue to under-identify the full range of individuals impacted by PAE.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10229137/

Women’s Health – Alcohol consumption and pregnancy in American Indian and Alaska Native women: A scoping review of the literature
American Indian and Alaska Native communities have diverse cultures, histories, and contemporary experiences. Grouping them together masks the differences in health and lifestyle behaviors, chronic disease rates, and health outcomes among them.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/17455057231175799

Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica – Maternal alcohol consumption and the risk of miscarriage in the first and second trimesters: a systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis
This meta-analysis revealed no dose-dependent association between miscarriage risk and alcohol consumption, but further focused research is recommended.
https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/aogs.14566

Reproductive Toxicology – Maternal alcohol intake in early pregnancy and biomarkers of fecundity in adult sons: A cohort study. Male fecundity may be largely determined through fetal programming and therefore potentially be sensitive to exposure to maternal alcohol intake during pregnancy.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0890623823000709

Preventive Medicine Reports – Effect of CenteringPregnancy on women’s health behaviours, health literacy and healthcare use. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of CenteringPregnancy (CP) in the Netherlands on different health outcomes.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335523001353

J. Integr. Neurosci. – Towards a Distinct Sleep and Behavioural Profile of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD): A Comparison between FASD, Autism and Typically Developing Children
The findings in this study highlight several syndrome specific features (shorter sleep duration, executive functioning difficulties, and higher levels of social and behavioural problems and panic) that potentially contribute to the unique phenotype of FASD.
https://www.imrpress.com/journal/JIN/22/3/10.31083/j.jin2203077

30 April 2023

Journal of Clinical and Translational Endocrinology: Case Reports – Homozygous mutation in the ADH6 gene, involved in alcohol metabolism, associated with a multisystem disorder, analogous to the fetal alcohol syndrome. We identified a novel variant in ADH6, involved in the metabolism of alcohol, in a patient with a hereditary alcohol metabolism encephalopathy syndrome.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214624523000060

Journal of Intellectual Disabilities – Knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in the New Zealand social and community sector: An online survey. There is a need to improve training, professional development, and workplace support for social and community workers in New Zealand to support people with FASD.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/17446295231172234

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health – “Our Mothers Have Handed That to Us. Her Mother Has Handed That to Her”: Urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Yarning about Community Wellbeing, Healthy Pregnancies, and the Prevention of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
In Australia, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a largely hidden disability that is currently under-recognized, under-resourced, and under- or misdiagnosed. Unsurprisingly, efforts to prevent FASD in urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are lacking.
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/9/5614

JMIR Public Health and Surveillance – Racial/Ethnic Disparity in Association Between Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Alcohol Intake During Pregnancy: Multisite Retrospective Cohort Study. The risk of delivering a baby with FAS was comparable among White, Black, and AI/AN women at similar levels of drinking during pregnancy. Regardless of race, a 1-gram increase in AAC resulted in increased odds of giving birth to a baby with facial anomalies or deficient brain growth.
https://publichealth.jmir.org/2023/1/e45358

Australian Social Work – Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and Social Work Practice in Australia: A Narrative Literature Review
We argue that research about FASD and social work practice can improve social workers’ understanding of the BPSSC characteristics and management of FASD across the life course and contribute to EBP development in these areas in Australian social work.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0312407X.2023.2193175

Alcohol Research: Current Reviews – Reducing Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and the Incidence of FASD: Is the Past Prologue?
This narrative review summarizes and synthesizes the clinical trials and randomized clinical trials that evaluated selected and targeted approaches to reducing preconception and prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) and alcohol-exposed pregnancy (AEP) since 2011.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10127686/

International Journal of Molecular Sciences – Differential Early Mechanistic Frontal Lobe Responses to Choline Chloride and Soy Isoflavones in an Experimental Model of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. The findings suggest that dietary soy, with the benefits of providing complete nutrition together with Choline, could be used to help optimize neurodevelopment in humans at risk for FASD.
https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/8/7595

Biology of Sex Differences – Sex differences in the transcriptome of extracellular vesicles secreted by fetal neural stem cells and effects of chronic alcohol exposure. The EV transcriptome is distinctly different from, and more sex-variant than, the transcriptome of cell-of-origin NSCs. Ethanol, a common teratogen, results in dose-dependent sorting of RNA transcripts from NSCs to EVs which may reprogram the EV-mediated endocrine environment during neurogenesis.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13293-023-00503-0

Plos one – Bioinformatic analysis predicts that ethanol exposure during early development causes alternative splicing alterations of genes involved in RNA post-transcriptional regulation. This bioinformatic analysis provides a reliable list of candidate genes whose splicing is affected by ethanol during nervous system development.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0284357

Ursinus College – Establishing a Method for Microglial Morphology Analysis in Response to Binge Prenatal Alcohol Exposure in Dopaminergic Pathways
This research shifts from the focus on axons to the surrounding microglia that are responsible for axon guidance in developing embryos, especially in the subpallium.
https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/neuro_hon/18/

Neurology International – Sensory Motor Function Disturbances in Mice Prenatally Exposed to Low Dose of Ethanol: A Neurobehavioral Study in Postnatal and Adult Stages. The current data demonstrate the powerful neurotoxic effect of prenatal ethanol exposure on the sensory-motor and coordination functions, leading to suppose possible structural and/or functional neuronal disturbances, particularly the locomotor network.
https://www.mdpi.com/2035-8377/15/2/36

Preventing Chronic Disease – Screening and Brief Interventions for Alcohol Use During Pregnancy: Practices Among US Primary Care Clinicians, DocStyles 2019
Pregnancy presents a unique opportunity for clinicians to incorporate screening into routine obstetric care and encourage behavior change among patients.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10109479/

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health – Prenatal alcohol exposure risk perception dimensions and influencing factors: A systematic review and conceptual model. The novel PARP conceptual model developed from the current literature provides a framework to guide understanding of risk perceptions, which includes a wide range of potential influencing factors.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1326020023021532

Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research – Prenatal alcohol exposure and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder independently predict greater substance use in young adulthood. the effects of PAE on alcohol and cannabis use in young adulthood is not attributable to being reared in an environment that is socioeconomically disadvantaged or in one in which there is extensive maternal drinking.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/acer.15076

Tobacco Prevention and Cessation – Interventions for tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis cessation in pregnancy: considerations for design and implementation
The key considerations identified regarding the preferences and expectations of the participants on smoking, alcohol and cannabis interventions should be taken into consideration whilst acknowledging that some of these considerations might be context-dependent.
http://www.tobaccopreventioncessation.com/Interventions-for-tobacco-alcohol-and-cannabis-cessation-in-pregnancy-considerations,162901,0,2.html

Voices in Bioethics – Policies Affecting Pregnant Women with Substance Use Disorder. This article highlights some misconceptions and underscores the challenges they face as they navigate the justice and healthcare systems while also providing possible solutions to address their underlying addiction.
https://journals.library.columbia.edu/index.php/bioethics/article/view/10723

Obiter – Exploring the feasibility of criminalising maternal substance abuse in South Africa. With alcohol abuse by pregnant women being a significant problem in South Africa, particularly in the rural areas of the Western Cape province, the country carries one of the world’s heaviest burdens of foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).
http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?pid=S1682-58532023000100011&script=sci_arttext

Drug and Alcohol Dependence – Polysubstance use during pregnancy: The importance of screening, patient education, and integrating a harm reduction perspective. One in five individuals who reported use of any substance during pregnancy engaged in polysubstance use, highlighting the importance of comprehensive screening and evidence-based interventions including harm reduction.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0376871623001102

9 April 2023

Georgia College – An Application of the Transtheoretical Model for FASDs in the United States. Overall the study can assist in preventing fetal alcohol spectrum disorders by educating pregnant women on the risks of alcohol consumption.
https://kb.gcsu.edu/src/2023/Posters/13/

Children – Heated Behaviour in the Classroom for Children with FASD: The Relationship between Characteristics Associated with ADHD, ODD and ASD, Hot Executive Function and Classroom Based Reward Systems. Possession of characteristics related to Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, Oppositional Defiance Disorder, and Autism Spectrum Disorder in children prenatally exposed to alcohol contributes to challenges within the diagnostic pathway for Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).
https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/10/4/685

International Journal of Molecular Sciences – Expression Quantitative Trait Methylation Analysis Identifies Whole Blood Molecular Footprint in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to assess whole blood gene expression and DNAm-gene expression associations in FASD.
https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/7/6601

The FASEB Journal – A multi-organ analysis of the role of mTOR in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
The current review focuses on novel FASD research within the context of the mTOR signaling and sheds light on mechanistic etiologies at various biological levels including molecular, cellular, and functional, across multiple stages of development and illuminates the dichotomy between the different mTOR complexes and their unique signaling roles.
https://faseb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1096/fj.202201865R

Archives of Disease in Childhood – Assessing maternal alcohol consumption in pregnancy: comparison of confidential postnatal maternal interview and measurement of alcohol biomarkers in meconium
We investigated whether alcohol biomarkers fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs) and ethyl glucuronide (EtG) in meconium are predicted by maternal or newborn demographics and/or correlate with confidential early postnatal self-report of alcohol consumption in pregnancy.
https://adc.bmj.com/content/early/2023/03/29/archdischild-2022-325028.abstract

Contemporary Clinical Trials – A virtual randomized controlled trial of an alcohol-exposed pregnancy prevention mobile app with urban American Indian and Alaska Native young women: Native WYSE CHOICES rationale, design, and methods. Our study offers a template for building trust and extending reach to this underserved population while also providing important lessons and insights on advances in virtual or hybrid research approaches.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1551714423000903

Research in Developmental Disabilities – Parenting stress and FASD: A scoping review. 5 studies were deemed eligible for this review. This literature suggests that caregivers of children with FASD experience heightened levels of parenting stress.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0891422223000768

Current Research in Toxicology – Assessing the Sensitivity and Specificity of Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) Cutoffs to Identify Alcohol Exposed Pregnancies. In the literature on alcohol use biomarkers, there has been debate as to what a valid and/or utilitarian cut off level should be for various research applications.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666027X23000038

Women’s Health – A cross-sectional study on alcohol and contraception use among sexually active women of childbearing age: Implications for preventing alcohol-exposed pregnancies. With 20% of women at risk of an alcohol-exposed pregnancy, public health measures to address alcohol consumption and the effective use of contraception are critical to reducing the risk for alcohol-exposed pregnancies in NZ.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/17455057231161479

CJC Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease – Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in individuals with prenatal alcohol exposure. Children with PAE did not have abnormalities in MRI derived measures of cardiac structure or function despite smaller brain volumes and sex-specific differences in body composition, relative to healthy controls.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772812923000398

Journal of addiction Medicine – The Postpartum Period: An Opportunity for Alcohol Screening and Counseling to Reduce Adverse Health Impacts
These findings suggest missed opportunities to promote health and prevent adverse alcohol-related health outcomes during the postpartum period through evidence-based tools such as alcohol SBI.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37000527/

Experimental Physiology – Even periconceptional alcohol consumption can have long-term consequences on heart health in the offspring
It is well established that consumption of alcohol during pregnancy negatively impacts fetal development, causing a range of physical and mental impairments
https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1113/EP091190

American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology – Reduced prevalence of fetal exposure to alcohol in Italy: a nationwide survey
Ethylglucuronide (EtG) is a direct metabolite of ethanol and is widely accepted as a reliable biomarker for the assessment of gestational consumption when measured in maternal hair and prenatal exposure to alcohol when measured in neonatal meconium.
https://www.ajogmfm.org/article/S2589-9333(23)00086-1/fulltext

27 March 2023

University of New Mexico – Enrichment-Mediated Neurogenesis is Impaired in the ventral Hippocampus in a Mouse Model of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and Potential Therapeutic Intervention
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a leading cause of preventable intellectual disability and neural developmental disorders. Depression and anxiety are the most common mental illness in people with FASD. https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/hsc-bbhrd/70/

University of New Mexico – Microvascular Structure and Blood Brain Barrier Function are Compromised in Developing Cortices Following Prenatal Alcohol Exposure. FASD presents as a wide range of neurocognitive deficits that may be caused by abnormal vascular development in the brain and expression of factors that regulate vessel formation.
https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/hsc-bbhrd/91/

Archives of Hellenic Medicine – Alcohol and cardiac abnormalities in embryos
In the present paper, alcohol-related congenital heart abnormalities are examined. Congenital heart defects are morphological and functional abnormalities of the heart, which are present at birth and can disrupt the normal blood flow of the heart or great arteries.
https://www.mednet.gr/archives/2023-2/178abs.html

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health – Development of an Australian FASD Indigenous Framework: Aboriginal Healing-Informed and Strengths-Based Ways of Knowing, Being and Doing
Aboriginal culture intuitively embodies and interconnects the threads of life that are known to be intrinsic to human wellbeing: connection. Therefore, Aboriginal wisdom and practices are inherently strengths-based and healing-informed. https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/6/5215

Review of Disability Studies – An Interdisciplinary Approach to Increasing Access to Care for Individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) have a prevalence of roughly 1 in 20, making it one of the most prevalent disorders in the United States (May et al., 2018).
https://rdsjournal.org/index.php/journal/article/view/1172

University of Victoria – Choline: A Potential Neuroprotective Agent for Microglia Recovery from Prenatal Ethanol Exposure. We investigated the effects of postnatal ethanol exposure (at a time period equivalent to 3rd trimester in humans) on microglia in the hippocampus of adolescent rats.
http://dspace.library.uvic.ca/handle/1828/14877

Advances in Dual Diagnosis – Capturing invisibility: child welfare social worker’s interventions and assessment planning in presentations of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder(s)
The direct implications of FASD and how it impacts CWS are well documented. However, few studies focus on the critical interface of FASD and the role of CWSW responsible for planning their safe care. This paper offers a novel pragmatic and functional multistep protocol to aid CWSW in this complex area of practice. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/ADD-01-2023-0004/full/html

Annals of Medicine – Multifaceted case management during pregnancy is associated with better child outcomes and less fetal alcohol syndrome. At age five, proportionally fewer children of MCM participants qualified for a diagnosis of FAS, and proportionally more had physical outcomes indicating better prenatal brain development. Neurobehavioral indicators were not significantly different from controls by age five. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07853890.2023.2185808

Nutrients – Untargeted and Targeted Blood Lipidomic Signature Profile of Gestational Alcohol Exposure
Alcohol consumption has a close relationship with blood lipid levels in a nonpregnant state, with a myriad of effects on the liver; however, little is known about the interaction of alcohol and lipids in the context of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/6/1411

Research in Developmental Disabilities – Prognostic factors for long-term outcome in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Even though our results need to be interpreted with caution due to methodological limitations such as the use of a convenience sample and limited statistical power, they imply that severely affected children with FASD experience a less stable environment.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0891422223000598

Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research – Sex-related differences among individuals assessed for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in Canada Individuals with PAE/FASD experience notable sex-related differences in clinical presentation and experiences across the lifespan.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/acer.15017

Children – Concerns and Strengths: Caregiver Perceptions of Their Infant/Toddler with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure. These findings reinforce the value of caregivers’ perspectives and offer a reminder to practitioners that infants/toddlers with PAE and their caregivers have many strengths that can be harnessed, in addition to a range of challenges that must be addressed.
https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/10/3/544

Nutrients – The Association of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis with Appetite Regulation in Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs). Hormonal dysregulation in FASDs can contribute to reduced growth and development, as well as many other disturbed processes, including neurological/neurodevelopmental dysfunctions.
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/6/1366

Research in Developmental Disabilities – Relationship-based intervention for children who were prenatally alcohol exposed in South Africa. This early intervention study investigated the effectiveness of a relationship-based, developmental enhancement process for children who were prenatally exposed to alcohol in the South African context. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0891422223000574

Monash University – Attention and white matter micro- and macro-structure in children exposed to common patterns of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Attention deficits are common among children with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure, but little is known about the developmental consequences of lower and more common alcohol consumption patterns during pregnancy.
https://bridges.monash.edu/articles/thesis/Attention_and_white_matter_micro-_and_macro-structure_in_children_exposed_to_common_patterns_of_alcohol_consumption_during_pregnancy/22292596

Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy – Financial difficulties among youth prenatally exposed to substances: a longitudinal register-based cohort study. Receipt of long-term FSA among youth with PSE likely reflects maternal substance abuse linked with maternal financial situation and care instability in childhood. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09687637.2023.2176285

Journal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (JIAPAC) – Factors Associated With Changes in Alcohol Use During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Transition Among People With HIV in South Africa and Uganda. Identifying factors associated with alcohol use changes during pregnancy is important for developing interventions for people with HIV (PWH).
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/23259582231161029

Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research – Fetal alcohol exposure impairs learning and memory functions and elevates levels of various biochemical markers of Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of twelve-month-old rats. These data suggest that fetal alcohol exposure increases the expression of some of the biochemical and behavioral phenotypes of Alzheimer’s disease during aging.
https://europepmc.org/article/med/36940724

13 March 2023

Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research – Disrupted dynamic functional network connectivity in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Our results indicate important resting-state dFNC differences exist in children with FASD. Participants with FASD exhibited increased dynamic fluidity and dynamic range and spent more time in states typified by anticorrelation within and between DMN and VN, and more time in a state typified by high internetwork connectivity.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/acer.15046

Pielęgniarstwo w Opiece Długoterminowej – What should students know about FAS when they help people with alcohol dependence? Efforts should be made to increase public awareness of the risks of using drugs during pregnancy. The increased level of knowledge will affect not only the health behavior of patients, but may also improve the early diagnosis of FAS.
http://ltcn.eu//What-should-students-know-about-FAS-when-they-help-people-with-alcohol-dependence-,150,50243,0,1.html

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health – Rethinking Local Economic Development for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in Renosterberg Local Municipality, South Africa
Two towns in Renosterberg Local Municipality (RLM) in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa, Petrusville and Philipstown, have high Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) prevalence rates.
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/5/4492

The FASEB Journal – Mitigating the detrimental developmental impact of early fetal alcohol exposure using a maternal methyl donor-enriched diet. This study clearly supports that preimplantation embryos are vulnerable to the teratogenic effects of alcohol, emphasizes the dangers of maternal alcohol consumption during early gestation, and provides a potential proactive maternal nutritional intervention to minimize FASD progression, reinforcing the importance of adequate preconception and prenatal nutrition.
https://faseb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1096/fj.202201564R

First Peoples Child and Family Review – Aboriginal Kinship Carers and Carers of Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in Western Australia: Advancing Knowledge from an Indigenous and Disability Len. Children and youth with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) have limited access to assessment, diagnostic, and treatment resources – a distinct disadvantage in meeting their care needs in Australia. https://fpcfr.com/index.php/FPCFR/article/view/603

Respiratory Physiology and Neurobiology – Sexual dimorphic vulnerability of respiratory control in a neonatal rodent model of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder
These data suggest that important ventilatory defense responses in females are impaired following developmental EtOH exposure, and this may be associated with increased risk of later death.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1569904823000289

Nature Reviews Disease Primers – Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
Alcohol readily crosses the placenta and may disrupt fetal development. Harm from prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is determined by the dose, pattern, timing and duration of exposure, fetal and maternal genetics, maternal nutrition, concurrent substance use, and epigenetic responses.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41572-023-00420-x

Neurodevelopmental Pediatrics – Genetic, Epigenetic, and Environmental Influences on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: Implications for Diagnosis, Research and Clinical Practice
We provide an overview of FASD and a brief history of the development of diagnostic criteria, review risk and resilience factors that impact the expression of the disorder, discuss genetic and epigenetic factors in FASD, and conclude by relating these findings to the clinical context.
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-20792-1_28

Neurodevelopmental Pediatrics – Clinical Perspectives on the Diagnostic Assessment of Individuals with FASD
The purpose of this chapter is to provide clinicians with an overview of the diagnostic assessment of individuals with prenatal alcohol exposure.
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-20792-1_22

Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research – Adverse childhood experiences in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and their effects on behavior
Children with FASD are at risk for ACEs, and those with higher ACEs had a greater frequency of problem behavior on the ECBI, especially conduct problems.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/acer.15010

Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research – An investigation of the utility of the Australian Guide to the diagnosis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in young children
These results highlight the complexity of presentation and the extent of impairment in the sample. The use of comorbid diagnoses to substantiate a “severe” designation in specific neurodevelopmental domains raises the question of whether there were false-positive diagnoses.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/acer.15012

Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research – Sleep disturbances in Norwegian children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) with and without a diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder or epilepsy. Problems with sleep are very common in FASD children and seem independent of FASD subgroup and the presence of epilepsy or a pathological EEG finding, while those with ADHD had more sleep problems. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/acer.15009

Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research – Validation of the FASD-Tree as a screening tool for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. The FASD-Tree is not a biomarker of PAE and does not provide definitive evidence of prenatal alcohol exposure. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/acer.14987

BJR| Open – Spectrum of MRI findings of foetal alcohol syndrome disorders – what we know and what we need to know! The exposure to alcohol in utero has been known to damage the developing foetus. Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) is an umbrella term that highlights a range of adverse effects linked to alcohol exposure in utero. https://www.birpublications.org/doi/abs/10.1259/bjro.20210063

Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research – Latent classes of neurodevelopmental profiles and needs in children and adolescents with prenatal alcohol exposure. Four relatively distinct subgroups were present in a large heterogeneous sample of children and adolescents with PAE assessed for FASD in Canada. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/acer.15028

International Journal of High Risk Behaviors and Addiction – Emerging Risk of Ethanol-related Outbreak via Clandestine Alcohol Consumption During Pregnancy: An Alarming Note on Prevention of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in Iran. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy is an increased risk behavior that raises significant clinical concerns. Ethanol is classified as a hazardous teratogenic substance (1).
https://brieflands.com/articles/ijhrba-131881.html

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth – A harmonized analysis of five Canadian pregnancy cohort studies: exploring the characteristics and pregnancy outcomes associated with prenatal alcohol exposure
Pooling data across pregnancy cohort studies allowed us to create a large sample of Canadian women and investigate the risk factors for alcohol consumption during pregnancy.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12884-023-05447-2

Current Psychology – Alcohol consumption after pregnancy awareness and the additive effect of pregnancy-related anxiety and child abuse. This study examined whether pregnant women alter their alcohol consumption upon pregnancy awareness and any additive effect of a maternal history of child abuse and pregnancy-related anxiety in predicting antenatal alcohol consumption.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12144-023-04387-6

Experimental Neurology – Alcohol & cannabinoid co-use: Implications for impaired fetal brain development following gestational exposure. In this review paper, we will address what is currently known about combined exposure to these substances, both directly and prenatally, and identify shared prenatal targets from single-exposure paradigms that may highlight susceptible neurobiological mechanisms for future investigation and therapeutic intervention.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S001448862300002X?via%3Dihub&fbclid=IwAR3dqqZ_CxmB1_eCMGyFDa03TYrxStjO78aYcbKPYlT1V_YPKnw7d3xwFlE

20 February 2023

Cells – Choline Supplementation Alters Hippocampal Cytokine Levels in Adolescence and Adulthood in an Animal Model of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
Alcohol (ethanol) exposure during pregnancy can adversely affect development, with long-lasting consequences that include neuroimmune, cognitive, and behavioral dysfunction.
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/12/4/546

The Journal of Physiology – The role of maternal choline, folate and one-carbon metabolism in mediating the impact of prenatal alcohol exposure on placental and fetal development
Prenatal alcohol consumption (PAE) may be associated with a broad spectrum of impacts, ranging from no overt effects, to miscarriage, fetal growth restriction and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1113/JP283556

Alcohol – Combined exposure to alcohol and cannabis during development: mechanisms and outcomes
The present review focuses on interactions between alcohol and cannabis exposure and the potential consequences of these interactions.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0741832923000150

The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse – Global intellectual ability and adaptive functioning in children with FASD with and without sentinel facial features
The present study founds poorer cognitive outcomes in children who have FASD with sentinel facial features. In children without SFF, stronger executive functioning is also related to significantly stronger reported conceptual, social, and practical adaptive behaviors.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00952990.2022.2164503

Maternal and Child Health Journal – Systematic Review: Polysubstance Prevalence Estimates Reported during Pregnancy, US, 2009–2020
Polysubstance use during pregnancy is common, especially with alcohol, marijuana, and/or tobacco/nicotine.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10995-023-03592-w

Women’s Health – Supporting pregnant and parenting women who use alcohol during pregnancy: A scoping review of trauma-informed approaches
Alcohol is legalized and used for a variety of reasons, including socially or as self-medication for trauma in the absence of accessible and safe supports.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/17455057221148304

Stroke – Abstract TP215: Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Impairs Long-term Behavioral Recovery Following Ischemic Stroke In Sprague Dawley Rats
The present findings support the hypothesis that PAE modifies long-term cognitive changes after stroke, and further show that different cognitive domains are affected by PAE in males and females.
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1161/str.54.suppl_1.TP215

Frontiers in Psychology – Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and Risk-Need-Responsivity Model: A guide for criminal justice and forensic mental health professionals
As the prevalence of FASD becomes better understood and recognized, evidence-based approaches to addressing this specific sub-population are necessary to effect change and reduce recidivism and ongoing involvement in the criminal justice system.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9911866/?report=classic

6 February 2023

The Lancet Public Health – Heavy prenatal alcohol exposure and obstetric and birth outcomes: a Danish nationwide cohort study from 1996 to 2018
Heavy prenatal alcohol exposure is associated with adverse obstetric and birth outcomes and high proportions of maternal low educational level, psychiatric disease, and lifestyle risk behaviours. These findings highlight a need for holistic public health programmes and policy attention on improving pre-conceptional care and antenatal care.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(22)00263-8/fulltext

The Lancet Public Health – Heavy prenatal alcohol exposure and overall morbidities: a Danish nationwide cohort study from 1996 to 2018
Heavy prenatal alcohol exposure is associated with an overall increased risk of child morbidities and previously unrecognised alcohol-related health problems. Prenatal alcohol exposure is a key public health issue with a potential negative impact on child and adolescent health.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(22)00289-4/fulltext

The Lancet Public Health – Effect of alcohol during pregnancy: a public health issue
Alcohol is a known teratogen and associated with a range of adverse outcomes for pregnant women and children exposed in utero. The most prominent of these is known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(22)00318-8/fulltext

Alcohol Use: Assessment, Withdrawal Management, Treatment and Therapy – Alcohol Use During Pregnancy and Its Impacts on a Child’s Life
This chapter provides further background on FASD and then outlines the diagnostic process and why it is so challenging.
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-18381-2_12

Women’s Health – Supportive alcohol policy as a key element of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder prevention
In Canada, a Four-Part Model of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Prevention has been developed that describes a continuum of multi-sectoral efforts, including broad awareness campaigns, safe and respectful conversations around pregnancy and alcohol use, and holistic and wraparound support services for pregnant and postpartum women with alcohol, and other health and social concerns.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/17455057231151838

Children – Evaluating the Difference in Neuropsychological Profiles of Individuals with FASD Based on the Number of Sentinel Facial Features: A Service Evaluation of the FASD UK National Clinic Database
It might be implied that those with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) with fewer sentinel facial features have a “milder” neuropsychological presentation, or present with fewer impairments than those with more sentinel facial features.
https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/10/2/266

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health – The Changes in the Level of Knowledge about the Effects of Alcohol Use during Pregnancy among Three Last Generations of Women in Poland
Since 1973, when the term Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) was introduced, a major impact has been put on raising awareness about the negative effects of prenatal alcohol exposure.
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/3/2479

Cells – Synaptic Plasticity Abnormalities in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
The brain’s ability to strengthen or weaken synaptic connections is often termed synaptic plasticity. It has been shown to function in brain remodeling following different types of brain damage (e.g., drugs of abuse, alcohol use disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and inflammatory conditions).
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/12/3/442

Pediatric Research – Fetal anemia and elevated hepcidin in a mouse model of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder
These data confirm and extend prior observations that PAE disrupts maternal and fetal iron metabolism and impairs the fetus’s ability to regulate iron status.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41390-023-02469-6

Children – Development and Evaluation of a Virtual Model for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Assessment and Diagnosis in Children: A Pilot Study
The diagnostic process for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) involves a multi-disciplinary team and includes neurodevelopmental, physical, and facial assessments and evidence of prenatal alcohol exposure during the index pregnancy.
https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/10/2/196

The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse – Folate administration ameliorates neurobehavioral effects of prenatal ethanol exposure
Folate administration should be considered as a preventive or acute treatment to attenuate the neurobehavioral effects of PEE.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00952990.2022.2159425

Acta Neuropsychiatrica – Associations between community-level patterns of prenatal alcohol and tobacco exposure on brain structure in a non-clinical sample of 6-year-old children: a South African pilot study
The current small study utilized prospective data collection of patterns of prenatal alcohol and tobacco exposure (PAE and PTE) to examine associations with structural brain outcomes in 6-year-olds, and served as a pilot to determine the value of prospective data describing community-level patterns of PAE and PTE in a non-clinical sample of children.
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/acta-neuropsychiatrica/article/abs/associations-between-communitylevel-patterns-of-prenatal-alcohol-and-tobacco-exposure-on-brain-structure-in-a-nonclinical-sample-of-6yearold-children-a-south-african-pilot-study/3FE59538C5798DB8933A8FFD40FEF8B0

Journal of EMDR Practice – The Effects of EMDR Therapy on Pregnant Clients With Substance Use Disorders: A Narrative, Scoping Literature Review
This narrative scoping literature review explores a significant clinical population, pregnant women with co-occurring substance misuse, through the lens of adaptive information processing and the potential for eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy intervention.
https://connect.springerpub.com/content/sgremdr/early/2023/01/25/emdr-2022-0049.abstract

Antioxidants – Impact of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure on the Development and Myocardium of Adult Mice: Morphometric Changes, Transcriptional Modulation of Genes Related to Cardiac Dysfunction, and Antioxidant Cardioprotection
In summary, PAE animals presented morphometric changes, transcription of cardiac dysfunction-related genes, and increased antioxidant protection in the myocardium.
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/12/2/256

MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report – Alcohol Use, Screening, and Brief Intervention Among Pregnant Persons — 24 U.S. Jurisdictions, 2017 and 2019
In 2017 and 2019, during their most recent health care visit, 80% of pregnant persons reported being asked about their alcohol use; only 16% of those with past 30-day alcohol consumption were advised by a health care provider to quit or reduce their alcohol use.
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7203a2.htm

January 2023

Nature – Initial study on quantitative electroencephalographic analysis of bioelectrical activity of the brain of children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) without epilepsy
The main objective of this study was to identify characteristic patterns in QEEG among individuals affected with FASD.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-26590-4

BMC Medicine – Chromatin modifier developmental pluripotency associated factor 4 (DPPA4) is a candidate gene for alcohol-induced developmental disorders
Our study shows the effects of early alcohol exposure on human embryonic and extraembryonic cells, introduces candidate genes for alcohol-induced developmental disorders, and reveals potential biomarkers for prenatal alcohol exposure.
https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-022-02699-1

The Lancet Public Health – Heavy prenatal alcohol exposure and overall morbidities: a Danish nationwide cohort study from 1996 to 2018
Heavy prenatal alcohol exposure is associated with an overall increased risk of child morbidities and previously unrecognised alcohol-related health problems. Prenatal alcohol exposure is a key public health issue with a potential negative impact on child and adolescent health. This study urges for renewed efforts and substantiates the profound degree to which pre-conceptional care is mandatory.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468266722002894

Logopedia Silesiana – Performance of a picture description by ten-year-olds with fetal alcohol syndrome
The subject of this paper is describing of a picture by ten-year-olds with fetal alcohol syndrome and their peers from a control group.
https://journals.us.edu.pl/index.php/LOGOPEDIASILESIANA/article/view/13642

ResearchGate – Leveraging Community-University Partnerships to Develop a Strength-Based and Individualized Approach to Humanizing Housing Service Delivery for Individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
This field report summarizes and advances key learnings for leveraging community–university partnerships addressing housing service gaps for high-risk, marginalized populations with complex needs.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/366562823_Leveraging_Community-University_Partnerships_to_Develop_a_Strength-Based_and_Individualized_Approach_to_Humanizing_Housing_Service_Delivery_for_Individuals_with_Fetal_Alcohol_Spectrum_Disorder_FASD

African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine – Alcohol ban during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown: Lessons for preventing foetal alcohol spectrum disorder in South Africa
During the two national lockdowns implemented in South Africa to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages were prohibited.
https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/3686

Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs – Adverse childhood experiences and neurodevelopmental disorders among youth with and without prenatal substance exposure: A longitudinal matched register-based cohort study
A strong association between ACEs and neurodevelopmental disorders was found. Brain research is needed to examine whether ACEs worsen neurodevelopmental outcomes caused by PSE.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/14550725221110190

Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research – Comparison of three systems for the diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in a community sample
These results indicate a lack of consistency in these approaches to diagnosis. Discrepancies result from differences in specifying the criteria used to define the diagnosis, including growth, physical features, neurobehavior and alcohol-use thresholds.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/acer.14999

Journal of Affective Disorders – Prenatal alcohol exposure enhanced alcohol preference and susceptibility to PTSD in a sex-dependent manner through the synaptic HCN1 channel
Overall, these results suggest that PAE enhances alcohol preference and susceptibility to PTSD through synaptic HCN1 channels in the PFC. In addition, ZD7288 may be a promising candidate for preventing alcohol-associated PTSD-like syndrome, particularly in males.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S016503272201429X

Plos one – Spatial distribution and determinants of alcohol consumption among pregnant women in Ethiopia: Spatial and multilevel analysis
Alcohol consumption during pregnancy in Ethiopia was high. The spatial distribution of alcohol consumption was significantly varied across the country.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0279405

International Journal of Molecular Sciences – Molecular Markers in Maternal Blood Exosomes Allow Early Detection of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
Prenatal alcohol exposure can cause developmental abnormalities (fetal alcohol spectrum disorders; FASD), including small eyes, face and brain, and neurobehavioral deficits.
https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/1/135

Developmental Neuroscience – Auditory Outcomes in Adolescents with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure
Investigate three aspects of auditory function (auditory acuity, cochlear dysfunction, and auditory processing) in adolescents with fetal alcohol exposure without phenotypic changes.
https://europepmc.org/article/med/36580902

November 2022

Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research – MicroRNA-150-5p is upregulated in the brain microvasculature during prenatal alcohol exposure and inhibits the angiogenic factor Vezf1
miR-150-5p regulation of Vezf1 results in altered endothelial cell function during alcohol exposure. Further, miR-150-5p inhibition of Vezf1 may adversely alter the development of the cortical microvasculature during PAE and contribute to deficits seen in patients with FASD.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/acer.14939

Child & Family Social Work – ‘It’s rewarding because I get the love’: Grandparents raising grandchildren with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder
Grandparents raising their grandchildren with FASD face challenges and thus require specific supports so that they may adequately provide a safe and nurturing home environment for children with often challenging learning and social needs.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/cfs.12970

Ophthalmic Epidemiology – Eye Abnormalities in Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: A Systematic Review
Examination of eyes and vision should be considered in children with PAE and suspected or diagnosed FASD to enable early identification and optimal management.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09286586.2022.2123004

Canada.ca – Evidence synthesis – Accuracy of administrative database algorithms for autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder case ascertainment: a systematic review
There is some evidence to suggest that cases of ASD and ADHD can be identified using administrative data; however, studies that assessed the ability of algorithms to discriminate reliably between cases with and without the condition of interest were lacking. No evidence exists for FASD.
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/reports-publications/health-promotion-chronic-disease-prevention-canada-research-policy-practice/vol-42-no-9-2022/accuracy-administrative-database-algorithms-autism-spectrum-disorder-attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-fetal-alcohol-spectrum-systematic-review.html

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders – Comparative Analysis of Physical Traits of Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in South Africa and the United States and the Likelihood of FASD Births
The prevalence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) in recent years was 29% among children in the Western Cape Province of South Africa and 6.5% in four regions of the United States.
https://link.springer.com/protocol/10.1007/978-1-0716-2613-9_6

Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research – The impact of prenatal alcohol and/or tobacco exposure on brain structure in a large sample of children from a South African birth cohort
PAE was associated with reduction in structure of the medial temporal lobe, a brain region critical for learning and memory. PTE had stronger and broader associations, including with regions associated with executive function, reward processing, and emotional regulation, potentially reflecting continued postnatal exposure to tobacco (i.e., second-hand smoke exposure).
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/acer.14945

Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research – Early developmental alcohol exposure alters behavioral outcomes following adolescent re-exposure in a rat model
These results indicate that combined exposure to alcohol during these two critical periods reduces anxiety-related behaviors and/or increases risk taking in a sex-dependent manner, suggesting that prenatal alcohol exposure may affect risk for emotional consequences of adolescent alcohol exposure.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/acer.14950

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder – Alcohol Use Screening in Pregnant and Childbearing Aged Women: Practices and Implications
Increased use of these strategies would reduce risk of adverse outcomes to women and their children, decrease new cases of FASD and recurrence of FASD in families, and thus would improve maternal and child health.
https://link.springer.com/protocol/10.1007/978-1-0716-2613-9_11

American Journal of Perinatology – The Impact of Self-Reported Alcohol, Tobacco, and Recreational Drug Use during Pregnancy on Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes in First-Time Mothers
Trajectories of substance use are associated with APOs; thus, interventions to mitigate the use when encountered early in pregnancy are warranted.
https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/s-0042-1753502

Int J Environ Res Public Health – Preventing Drift through Continued Co-Design with a First Nations Community: Refining the Prototype of a Tiered FASD Assessment
This study emphasised the benefit of continued co-design to ensure health implementation strategies match the needs of the community.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36141498/

Alcohol – Ethanol sustains phosphorylated tau protein in the cultured neonatal rat hippocampus: Implications for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
This is the first study to show that ethanol exposure sustains tau Threonine231 phosphorylation in the perinatal hippocampus regardless of Total Tau expression.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0741832922000696

Cureus – Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in a Newborn. Our objective was to evaluate a three-day-old male infant born at 37 weeks gestation via vaginal delivery to a mother with admitted excessive alcohol intake for FASD. On physical appearance, the newborn had evidence of smooth philtrum and thin vermillion border, which are two of the three cardinal facial characteristics for dysmorphology.
https://www.cureus.com/articles/111304-fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorder-in-a-newborn

Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research – Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and access to Regional Center Services in San Diego County
The 6.9% prevalence estimate among Regional Center clients was higher than the prevalence estimate of 2.3% in the same community among 5–7-year-old children in the general population.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/acer.14934

African Journal of Reproductive Health – Barriers and facilitators of alcohol abstinence during pregnancy
There is a limited understanding of why pregnant women drink in the South African context, particularly in rural settings, where the prevalence of FASD is highest.
https://www.ajrh.info/index.php/ajrh/article/view/3454

City University of Seattle – Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD): Examining How School Counsellors Can Support Students Diagnosed with FASD Through Life Skills and Social-Emotional Learning. The research question I will addressed in this capstone is: How can school counsellors support students diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder through life skills and social-emotional learning?
http://repository.cityu.edu/handle/20.500.11803/1884

SSRN – Maternal Alcoholism Affects Cell Lineage in Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis. These results suggest that pathways implicated in cell determination were affected by PEE and remained affect in adulthood.
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4195487

Laurier – “The system is not set up for individuals with FASD”: Lived and Caregiver Perspectives Regarding Current and Ideal Housing Supports for Canadian Adults with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. This study offers insight into the perspectives of adults with FASD regarding their daily living support, which is critical to inform future supported housing and support self-determination.
https://scholars.wlu.ca/etd/2485/

AAIDD – The Strengths and Positive Influences of Children With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
This study is the first to examine strengths and positive influences of young children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).
https://meridian.allenpress.com/ajidd/article-abstract/127/5/355/485364/The-Strengths-and-Positive-Influences-of-Children

Drug and Alcohol Review – Evaluation outcomes of an alcohol and pregnancy campaign targeting multiple audiences. Results indicate the campaign was well received by respondents, increased concern about drinking alcohol during pregnancy and positively influenced women’s intentions to refrain from drinking while pregnant.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/dar.13541

Biomedicines – Sex-Related Differences in Voluntary Alcohol Intake and mRNA Coding for Synucleins in the Brain of Adult Rats Prenatally Exposed to Alcohol. These findings indicate that the impact of PAE on transcriptional regulation of synucleins may be sex-dependent, and in males’ disruption in α-synuclein mRNA expression may contribute to increased vulnerability to alcohol-associated behavior.
https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/10/9/2163

Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy – Effectiveness of a practice change intervention in reducing alcohol consumption in pregnant women attending public maternity services. Special occasion drinking was reduced following implementation of guideline-recommended care. Failure to change other patterns of alcohol use in pregnancy may reflect barriers to implementing the model of care in antenatal care settings and the need to address other social determinants of alcohol use.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13011-022-00490-2

Child Psychiatry & Human Development – Characteristics of the Symptoms of the Proposed ND-PAE Disorder in First Grade Children in a Community Sample. The proposed symptoms for Neurobehavioral Disorder Associated with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (ND-PAE) were evaluated in children who participated in the Collaboration on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Prevalence study.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10578-022-01414-8

Dialogues in Health – Prevention of alcohol related harm though preconception care: A scoping review of barriers and enablers. Investment in alcohol education and skills training for healthcare professionals is required to ensure a coherent message is communicated across services, and that shared decision making about healthcare between service users and health professionals is facilitated.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772653322000405

Journal of Karnali Academy of Health Sciences – Alcohol Consumption during Pregnancy and its association with Fetal Outcome in a Mountainous District of Nepal. The prevalence of alcohol consumption during pregnancy was seen in one out of three mothers. Mothers were at the highest risk of delivering low birth weight babies if they had a binge alcohol consumption pattern.
http://jkahs.org.np/jkahs/index.php/jkahs/article/view/589

Frontiers – How the alcohol industry fought against pregnancy warning labels in France. A press coverage analysis spanning 20 years. This study fills a gap in the Anglosphere research on lobbying against alcohol warnings by analyzing lobbyists’ arguments over a 20-year period covering both failed and successful industry lobbying.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.933164/full

Qualitative Health Research – Researching Alcohol Consumption During Pregnancy. Opportunities and Challenges With Two Methods of Data Acquisition. These results have implications for research about female substance use. Knowledge of the issues will bestow a valuable contribution to researchers working in the field of substance use to help develop appropriate research approaches, as they engage in research into this highly stigmatized and controversial area.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/10497323221119005