Brain Maturation in Adults with FASD

项目摘要 在子宫内接触酒精会对发育中的胎儿产生破坏性影响，包括生长缺陷， 认知和行为异常，大脑的改变，以及独特的面部特征;这些都是 被称为胎儿酒精谱系障碍（FASD）。虽然过去40年的研究 这些变化的特点，并提供了许多潜在的机制，产前的影响， 酒精暴露（PAE），很少有数据存在的长期后果，因为大多数临床研究 重点关注儿童和青少年。PAE的许多后果被认为是终身的，然而， 尽管动物模型数据表明， 行为发展轨迹的改变。此应用程序的目标是解决 通过评估产前酒精暴露对胎儿的长期影响， 大脑之前来自华盛顿州西雅图的大型研究开发了具有良好特征的研究样本， 具有FASD分类的个体，其现在是30至60岁之间的成年人。这些 目前正在招募个人加入研究参与者登记册。其中超过150人 在青少年和二十多岁时进行过结构性MRI扫描。受试者的子集， 将招募匹配的对照组（N=90）进行另一次MRI检查，其中进行结构、DTI和 将进行连通性评估。将这些扫描与早期扫描进行比较， 研究酒精受试者的整体大脑结构、白色物质完整性和功能随年龄的变化 暴露历史我们假设，脑成熟后PAE遵循一个改变的轨迹，相对于 正常发育对照。这项工作将开始，以审查我们的知识的影响， PAE通过解决第一次在成人时期的大脑纵向变化，并确定差距 在成年期对FASD的了解。

Project Summary Exposure to alcohol in utero can have devastating effects on the developing fetus, including growth deficits, cognitive and behavioral anomalies, alterations in brain, and distinct facial characteristics; collectively these are referred to as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). While research over the last 40 years has characterized these alterations and provided numerous potential mechanisms for the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE), very little data exists on long-term consequences as the majority of clinical research has focused on children and adolescents. Many of the consequences of PAE are thought to be lifelong, yet data on individuals past young adulthood are rare, despite animal model data suggesting long-term consequences and altered trajectories of behavioral development. The goal of this application is to address this significant shortfall in our knowledge by evaluating the protracted effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on the brain. Previous large studies from Seattle, WA developed well-characterized research samples of individuals with a classification of having an FASD who are now adults between 30 and 60 years of age. These individuals are currently being recruited into a registry of research participants. Over 150 of these individuals have had previous structural MRI scans conducted while in their teens and twenties. A subset of subjects and matched controls (N=90) will be recruited to have another MRI session in which structural, DTI, and connectivity assessments will be conducted. Comparisons between these and earlier scans will provide insight into the changes in overall brain structure, white matter integrity, and function with age in subjects with alcohol exposure histories. We postulate that brain maturation following PAE follows an altered trajectory relative to normal developing controls. This work will begin to examine a major gap in our knowledge about the impact of PAE by addressing for the first time the longitudinal changes in brain during the adult period, and identify gaps in knowledge regarding FASD in adulthood.