BEHAVIORAL, EEG, AND MRI EVALUATION OF PRENATAL ALCOHOL

胎儿酒精综合征(FAS)包括广泛的残疾 既涉及结构变化，也涉及功能变化。其中最多的 毁灭性的影响是由中央地区的变化引起的 神经系统(CNS)。这些中枢神经系统的变化导致认知和 在大多数关于Fas的研究中都报告了行为缺陷。此外，还有 是越来越多的文献表明大脑和行为 在没有面部特征的情况下，可能会发生变化 Fas诊断。在我们的研究中，有大量产前接触的儿童 对于酒精(PEA)，他们没有明显的Fas的身体特征， 显示出大脑和行为的变化，类似于Fas的变化。 以前的工作大体上记录了广泛的、相当普遍的赤字 智力。最近，人们注意到了 神经心理功能的特定方面，记录缺陷 以及不同认知领域的相对优势。需要 是对这些优势的细节有更好的理解 弱点。这一水平的检查，再加上大脑成像，将 为以下项目提供干预和补救战略框架 酗酒的儿童。 拟议的项目是多学科性质的，包括 神经心理评估、磁共振成像(MRI)、 和电生理评估。这项提议代表着 继续我们过去一年一直在进行的工作 三年了。我们计划继续我们的总体评估，并 建议扩大我们三项研究的调查范围 域名。在神经心理学领域，除了我们的 一般测试电池，我们正在提出具体的措施 学习、记忆和情绪功能。在MRI组件中， 同时继续评估Fas儿童的脑结构 和PEA，我们正在提议一项关于大脑发育变化的研究，并 功能磁共振成像的初步研究。最后，在电生理学中 ，我们建议继续收集脑电和事件相关事件相关数据 患有PEA的儿童以及解决情感问题的新组件 酒精暴露儿童的反应。我们相信，我们的方法已经 到目前为止已经取得了成功，这个多学科项目将 扩大我们对产前饮酒破坏性影响的理解 暴露，也许会导致新的治疗策略。

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) encompasses a broad range of disabilities involving both structural and functional changes. Among the most devastating effects are those caused by alterations in the central nervous system (CNS). These CNS changes result in the cognitive and behavioral deficits reported in most studies of FAS. In addition, there is a growing body of literature that suggests that brain and behavioral changes can occur in the absence of the facial features required for an FAS diagnosis. In our study, children with heavy prenatal exposure to alcohol (PEA), who do not have the obvious physical features of FAS, show changes in both brain and behavior similar to those seen in FAS. Previous work has documented broad, fairly general, deficits in general intellectual ability. More recently, attention has been paid to specific aspects of neuropsychological functioning, documenting deficits as well as relative strengths across various cognitive domains. Needed is greater understanding of the details of these strengths and weaknesses. This level of examination, coupled with brain imaging, will provide the framework for intervention and remediation strategies for alcohol-exposed children. The proposed project is multidisciplinary in nature, including neuropsychological assessment, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and electrophysiological evaluation. This proposal represents a continuation of work that we have been conducting for the last three years. We plan to continue our general evaluation and are proposing to expand the investigation of our three research domains. In the neuropsychological domain, in addition to our general test battery, we are proposing specific measures of learning, memory, and emotional functioning. In the MRI component, along with continuing to evaluate brain structure in children with FAS and PEA, we are proposing a study of developmental brain changes and a pilot study in functional MRI. Finally, in the electrophysiological component, we are proposing to continue to collect EEG and ERP data on children with PEA as well as a new component addressing emotional responses in alcohol-exposed children. We believe that our approach has been successful thus far, and that this multidisciplinary project will expand our understanding of the devastating effects of prenatal alcohol exposure, perhaps leading to new treatment strategies.