Brain Maturation in Adults with FASD

项目摘要 在宫内接触酒精会对发育中的胎儿造成毁灭性的影响，包括生长缺陷， 认知和行为异常，大脑的变化，以及明显的面部特征；这些统称为 称为胎儿酒精谱系障碍(FASD)。虽然过去40年的研究表明 描述了这些变化的特征，并为产前影响提供了许多潜在的机制 酒精暴露(PAE)，几乎没有关于长期后果的数据，因为大多数临床研究 以儿童和青少年为重点。PAE的许多后果被认为是终生的，但 尽管动物模型数据表明，长期的成年后个体的数据很少。 行为发展的后果和改变的轨迹。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，我们的知识存在显著不足 大脑。华盛顿州西雅图之前的大型研究开发了具有良好特征的研究样本 具有FASD分类的个人，现已成年，年龄在30至60岁之间。这些 目前正在将个人招募到研究参与者的登记册中。超过150个这样的人 在他们十几岁和二十多岁的时候做过结构性核磁共振扫描。主题的子集和 匹配的对照组(N=90)将被招募进行另一次磁共振检查，在该检查中，结构性、DTI和 将进行互联互通评估。将这些扫描与早期扫描进行比较将提供更深入的了解 酒精受试者整体大脑结构、白质完整性和功能随年龄的变化 暴露史。我们推测，PAE后的大脑成熟遵循相对于 正常发育对照组。这项工作将开始检查我们对 Pae首次通过寻址成人期大脑的纵向变化，并找出差距 关于成年后FASD的知识。

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.