El consumo de alcohol durante el embarazo puede producir graves lesiones y secuelas en el feto que se engloban bajo el nombre de síndrome alcohólico fetal (SAF). En algunos casos el alcohol produce alteraciones cerebrales graves con alteraciones del comportamiento y déficit intelectual.

The Centers for Disease Control estimate that up to three children of every 2,000 are born with fetal alcohol syndrome. The condition causes physical and mental disabilities, but it is 100 percent preventable.En un estudio llevado a cabo en la Universidad de San Diego, se evaluaron 22 adolescentes y niños con y sin exposición intensa al alcohol durante su gestación. Los investigadores encontraron dos regiones cerebrales alteradas en las personas cuyas madres bebieron alcohol: en la corteza prefrontal que demuestran una activación elevada, y en el núcleo caudato donde existe activación reducida. La Dra. Susana L. Fryer, responsable de la investigación, ha dicho que las regiones cerebrales alteradas son las implicadas en la conducta inhibida. Los afectados también tuvieron trastornos hiperactivos con déficit de atención y otros problemas psiquiátricos con poco control de la conducta. El aprendizaje también se altera.

Más información: Síndrome alcohólico fetal , Características del SAF

Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2007 Jul;31(8):1415-24. Epub 2007 Jun 9.

Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Affects Frontal-Striatal BOLD Response During Inhibitory Control.

Fryer SL, Tapert SF, Mattson SN, Paulus MP, Spadoni AD, Riley EP.

Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego State University/University of California, San Diego, California, USA.

Background: Prenatal alcohol exposure can lead to widespread cognitive impairment and behavioral dysregulation, including deficits in attention and response inhibition. This study characterized the neural substrates underlying the disinhibited behavioral profile of individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). Methods: Children and adolescents (ages 8-18) with (n=13) and without (n=9) histories of heavy prenatal alcohol exposure underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing a response inhibition (go/no-go) task. Results: Despite similar task performance (mean response latency, performance accuracy, and signal detection), blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) response patterns differed by group. Region-of-interest analyses revealed that during portions of the behavioral task that required response inhibition, alcohol-exposed participants showed greater BOLD response across prefrontal cortical regions (including the left medial and right middle frontal gyri), while they showed less right caudate nucleus activation, compared with control participants. Conclusions: These data provide an account of response inhibition-related brain functioning in youth with FASD. Furthermore, results suggest that the frontal-striatal circuitry thought to mediate inhibitory control is sensitive to alcohol teratogenesis.