Alcohol: Research reports

Possible benefits of alcohol

October 2006

Why moderate drinking may boost memory

Another study has come out suggesting moderate amounts of alcohol are good for the brain, and explaining why. The rat study found that low levels of alcohol increased the expression of a particular receptor, NR1, on the surface of neurons in the hippocampus. Increasing the number of NR1 receptors in a different group of rats resulted in a memory boost similar to that seen in the rats given low doses of alcohol. There were no toxic effects of low-level alcohol consumption (1—2 drinks a day) on the brain, but a higher dose of alcohol did damage neurons.
The findings were presented at the Society for Neuroscience's annual meeting on October 14-18 in Atlanta, Georgia.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/10/061025171322.htm
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-10/osu-mdm102506.htm

October 2006

Cabernet sauvignon red wine reduces the risk of Alzheimer's disease

A mouse study has found moderate consumption of the red wine Cabernet Sauvignon significantly reduced Alzheimer’s-type deterioration of spatial memory function. The Cabernet Sauvignon used contained a very low content of resveratrol, 10-fold lower than the minimal effective concentration shown to promote Aß clearance in vitro. It is suggested that, instead, the benefit occurred through promoting non-amyloidogenic processing of amyloid precursor protein. The finding supports epidemiological evidence indicating that moderate wine consumption (one drink per day for women and two for men) may help reduce the relative risk for Alzheimer’s.
The study was presented at the annual Society for Neuroscience Meeting held in Atlanta, Georgia, October 14-18, and will be published in the November issue of The FASEB Journal. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-09/tmsh-csr091806.htm

May 2006

Moderate alcohol intake associated with better mental function in older women

A study of over 7,000 older women (65-80) found that those who drink a moderate amount of alcohol have slightly higher levels of mental function than non-drinkers, particularly in verbal abilities. The researcher warned that "Until we better understand the reasons why alcohol consumption is associated with better cognitive functioning, these results on their own are not a reason for people who don't drink to start or for those who drink to increase their intake."
The study is available online in Neuroepidemiology. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-05/wfub-mai053106.htm

January 2006

More support for benefits of some alcohol

A longitudinal study of an elderly community sample found that, over an average of 7 years, mild-to-moderate drinking was associated with less average decline in cognitive function compared to not drinking.
The study appeared in the October issue of Neurology. Full reference
http://www.neurology.org/cgi/content/abstract/65/8/1210

January 2005

Moderate alcohol intake may reduce cognitive decline in older women

Two recent large-scale epidemiological studies have come out recently with similar findings. Data from the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study (involving 4,461 women aged 65 to 79 years) has revealed that women who reported having one or more alcohol drinks daily had a 40% lower risk of significant declines in cognitive function over time, compared to women who reported no alcohol intake. It is possible that moderate alcohol intake may reduce the risk for narrowed vessels in the brain. In addition, alcohol may decrease the formation of plaque that is associated with Alzheimer's disease.
Data from the Nurses' Health Study, begun in 1976 and involving 12,480 women, now aged between 70 and 81 years old, has found that women who had the equivalent of one drink a day had a 23% lower risk of becoming mentally impaired during a two-year period, compared with non-drinkers. It made no significant difference whether they drank beer or wine.
The first study was reported in the February 1 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology. Full reference
The study was reported in the January 20 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-01/wfub-mai012105.htm (1^st study)
http://www.nature.com/news/2005/050117/full/050117-10.html (2^nd study)

September 2004

Drinking too much alcohol, and not enough, increases risk of cognitive impairment

In Finland, researchers re-examined 1018 participants from a study of 1464 men and women aged 65-79 studied in 1972 or 1977. They found that participants who drank no alcohol in midlife as well as those who drank alcohol frequently were twice as likely to have mild cognitive impairment in old age compared to those who drank alcohol infrequently. The effect of alcohol was however modified by the presence of the apolipoprotein e4 allele (implicated in dementia risk). People who were carriers of the apolipoprotein e4 allele had an increased risk of dementia with increasing alcohol consumption, with carriers of the gene significantly reducing their risk by never drinking.
The study was reported in the September 4 issue of the British Medical Journal. Full reference

August 2004

Possible benefits of alcohol in reducing cognitive decline

Another report from the Whitehall Study database. This one adds to the, still controversial, research linking moderate wine consumption with health and longevity. Of those who reported drinking alcohol in the past year, those who consumed at least one drink in the past week were significantly less likely to have poor cognitive function than those who did not. These benefits appeared even at levels of alcohol consumption that most sensible observers would consider excessive, and emphasizes once again that correlation is not causation. It seems likely that this association at least partly reflects other factors, and indeed, the correlation was reduced when social position was taken account of. It may also reflect the possible effect of alcohol in reducing risk of cardiovascular disease.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/08/01/nalco01.xml

August 2003

Alcohol's benefits for cognition may be overstated

Some studies (that receive a lot of media attention) have suggested that moderate alcohol drinking may have beneficial effects on the heart or the brain. Other studies have found no effect, or a negative one. Now a new study may provide an answer to the conflicting results. Using data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, which has followed more than 10,000 men and women who graduated from Wisconsin high schools in 1957, researchers in 1992 asked the participants about their drinking habits. It was found that men who consumed low levels of alcohol in 1992 had higher scores on the abstract reasoning test than those who drank either more or less. However, when earlier cognitive ability (measured in high school) was taken into account, the difference between non-drinkers and those who had one drink a day disappeared. With the women, both non-drinkers and heavy drinkers had lower scores at age 53 than moderate drinkers. But when adolescent cognitive ability was taken into account, these differences disappeared. Participants will be re-examined next year, when they’re about 65.
The study was reported in the July issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-08/cfta-abo082103.htm

November 2002

Drinking wine may lower risk of dementia

Researchers in Copenhagen have followed up an analysis of drinking patterns for wine, beer and liquor of 1,709 people in the 1970s with an assessment of dementia in the 1990s, when participants were age 65 or older. 83 of the participants had developed dementia. Their alcohol intake was compared to that of those who did not develop dementia. It was found that those who drank wine occasionally had a lower risk of developing dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. Those who drank wine every day were no more or less likely to develop dementia than those who drank it less often. The study also found that occasional beer drinking was associated with an increased risk of developing dementia. It is important to note that eating habits were not investigated, and research suggests that wine drinkers may have better dietary habits than beer and liquor drinkers.
The study was published in the November 12 issue of Neurology. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2002-11/aaon-dwm110702.htm

December 2001

Moderate alcohol consumption may help prevent dementia

Recent research has suggested that moderate alcohol consumption may have positive health benefits for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular functioning. Given the connection between dementia in old age and cerebrovascular disease, a recent Italian study analyzed data from 15,807 patients (65 years of age or older) to assess whether there is any link between alcohol consumption and cognitive function. Signs of cognitive derangement were found in 19% of the participants who reported regular alcohol consumption, and in 29% of those who abstained from alcohol. The quantity of daily alcohol consumption was an important factor. The risk of cognitive impairment was reduced among women whose daily alcohol consumption was less than 40 grams and among men who drank less than 80 grams. Higher levels of alcohol consumption showed an increased risk of cognitive impairment when compared with both abstainers and moderate drinkers.
The study was reported in the December issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. Reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2001-12/ace-aad121001.htm

A Dutch study suggests that light-to-moderate alcohol consumption could reduce the risk of dementia among older people. Light-to-moderate alcohol consumption (1 to 3 drinks per day) was associated with a 42% risk reduction of all dementia, and around a 70% reduction in risk of vascular dementia.
The study was reported in the 26 January issue of The Lancet. Full reference

Damage done by alcohol

Heavy drinking

June 2005

Drinking for just eight weeks impairs learning and memory in mice

It’s well established that chronic alcohol consumption can produce deficits in learning and memory. A new rodent study, however, is the first to show that continuous drinking for as little as eight weeks can produce deficits in learning and memory that last at least 12 weeks after drinking stopped — “equivalent to a human that drank six to eight beers or one bottle of wine a day every day for six years experiencing learning and memory deficits up to nine years after they stopped drinking alcohol." These deficits were global — that is, they affected long-term memory for every type of task tested. Short-term memory was not affected. Rats who drank for only four weeks did not experience the same effects.
The study appeared in the June issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-06/ace-dfj060605.htm

March 2005

Cognitive effects of binge drinking worse for women

A new study looked at the cognitive effects of binge drinking, which apparently is on the rise in several countries, including Britain and the US. The study involved 100 healthy moderate-to-heavy social drinkers aged between 18 and 30. There were equal numbers of males and females. The study found that female binge drinkers performed worse on the working-memory and vigilance tasks than did the female non-binge drinkers.
The report was published in the March issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-03/ace-bdc030705.htm

April 2004

Brain damage found among heavy social drinkers

Almost all knowledge about brain damage due to chronic alcohol consumption has been gathered from alcoholics, generally toward the end of an institutionalized treatment program or many months into abstinence. A new study however, uses magnetic resonance technology to examine brain damage in heavy drinkers who are not in treatment and function relatively well in the community. The study found that frontal white matter NAA – generally considered to be a marker of neuronal damage – was lower in heavy drinkers than light drinkers, and was associated with lower executive and working memory functions. Some of the behaviors that could be associated with the metabolite changes include the inability to apply consequences from past actions, difficulties with abstract concepts of time and money, difficulties with storing and retrieving information, and frequently needing external motivators.
The study appeared in the April issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-04/ace-sab040704.htm

June 2003

Alcohol damages day-to-day memory function

A new study involving 763 participants (465 female, 298 males) used self-report questionnaires: the Prospective Memory Questionnaire (PMQ), the Everyday Memory Questionnaire (EMQ), and the UEL (University of East London) Recreational Drug Use Questionnaire, and found that heavy users of alcohol reported making consistently more errors than those who said that they consumed little or no alcohol. More specifically, those who reported higher levels of alcohol consumption were more likely to miss appointments, forget birthdays and pay bills on time (prospective memory), as well as more problems remembering whether they had done something, like locking the door or switching off the lights or oven, or where they had put items like house keys. The study also found a significant increase in reported memory problems by people who claimed to drink between 10 and 25 units each week in comparison to non-drinkers – this is within the ’safe drinking’ limits suggested by U.K. government guidelines.
The study appeared in the June issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-06/ace-add060903.htm

Smoking and alcohol

November 2007

Nicotine may enhance attention and working memory in recovering alcoholics

New findings show that nicotine patches may enhance cognitive functioning among newly recovering alcoholics with a history of smoking. Nicotine (but not tobacco) has been shown to have a cognitive benefit, particularly on attention processes. The study also found that alcoholics who smoked were more sensitive to the drug dose of nicotine than were community controls who also smoked.
Results were published in the December issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.  Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-11/ace-nme111907.php

March 2006

Smoking interferes with brain's recovery from alcoholism

In another study indicating smoking worsens the effect of alcoholism on the brain, smoking was found to apparently interfere with the brain's ability to recover from the effects of chronic alcohol abuse.
The study appeared in the March issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-03/uoc--siw031506.htm

October 2005

Long-term smoking associated with dulled thinking and lower IQ

A long-term study involving 172 alcoholic and non-alcoholic men has found that long-term smoking impaired memory and reasoning skills and reduced IQ. The effect was most pronounced among those who had smoked for years. The effects of smoking were found among the non-alcoholics as well as the alcoholics, and among the alcoholics, the cognitive impact of long-term heavy smoking appeared to be greater than the impact of drinking.
The findings were released online before publication in Drug and Alcohol Dependence. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-10/uomh-dsc101005.htm

September 2005

Smoking seems to increase brain damage in alcoholics

Another study has come out indicating that alcoholics who smoke are at greater risk of brain damage. The imaging study compared brain volume in recovered alcoholics and light drinkers. The study found no difference between smokers and non-smokers among the light drinkers, but among the alcoholics, the more severe the tobacco habit, the more brain volume had been lost.
The study was published in the August issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-09/uoc--sst092805.htm

December 2004

Cigarette smoking exacerbates alcohol-induced brain damage

Heavy alcohol consumption is known to cause brain damage. A new imaging study has compared 24, one-week-abstinent alcoholics (14 smokers, 10 nonsmokers) in treatment with 26 light-drinking "controls" (7 smokers, 19 nonsmokers), and found that cigarette smoking can both exacerbate alcohol-induced damage as well as independently cause brain damage. The damage is most prominent in the frontal lobes (important in planning, decision-making, and multi-tasking among other functions). Independent of alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking also had adverse effects on brain regions involved in fine and gross motor functions and balance and coordination. Roughly 80% of alcohol-dependent individuals report smoking regularly.
The study appeared in the December issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-12/ace-cse120504.htm

Alcoholics

October 2006

Heavy, chronic drinking can cause significant hippocampal tissue loss

An imaging study of 8 heavy-drinking alcoholics and 8 age and ethnicity matched non-alcoholics (all male) found that total hippocampus volume was significantly reduced among the alcoholics.
The results were published in the November issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-10/ace-hcd101606.htm

May 2005

Brain atrophy occurs faster in women alcoholics

A study of 34 male and 42 female alcoholics has found that, although the women had been alcoholics for just 5.5 years on average, compared to the average 10.4 years for the men, the women had lost as much proportionate brain volume as the men. The findings are consistent with other studies suggesting that women suffer from the effects of alcohol abuse faster.
The results were reported in the May issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. Full reference
http://www.nature.com/news/2005/050509/full/050509-15.html

November 2004

Alcoholics can have deficits in visuoperception and frontal executive function despite sobriety

Detoxified alcoholics often have visuospatial and visuoperceptual deficits, characterized by difficulties completing tasks such as putting pieces of a puzzle together or map reading. A new study has found that, even with prolonged sobriety, alcoholics show deficits in visuoperception and frontal executive functioning of the brain. Furthermore, alcoholics utilize a more complex higher-order cognitive system (frontal executive functions) to perform the same tasks as individuals without a history of alcoholism. The potential problem with this is that if that same system is needed for a competing task, alcoholics may be at a disadvantage because that system would otherwise be engaged. The study involved 51 recently detoxified nonamnesic alcoholic men (ages 29 to 66 years) compared with 63 "normal," control men (ages 21 to 70 years).
Results are published in the November issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-11/ace-ach110804.htm

September 2004

Cognitive function of alcohol abuse patients may influence treatment outcome

Years of heavy alcohol consumption are known to impair many abilities generally referred to as “executive functions.” Such functions include judgment, problem solving, decision making, planning, and social conduct. But alcohol affects executive functioning both chronically and acutely. New research has found that alcohol abuse patients show significant deficits in executive functioning (specifically, abstract reasoning, memory discrimination, and effectiveness on timed tasks) during the critical first weeks of abstinence. The finding has implications for treatment programs, as the early phases of most treatment programs for alcohol abusers commonly require working in groups, making plans for the future, inhibiting behaviors related to their addiction, and remembering specific things. It is suggested that clinicians should scale down their expectations of what patients can do until more of their executive functioning comes back. The researchers are now intending to explore how long it takes the majority of people to regain most of their executive functioning.
The findings were published in the September issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-09/ace-cco090504.htm
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-09/dumc-cfo091004.htm

December 2003

Hippocampal damage seen in those with alcoholic memory disorder and those with Alzheimer's

A comparison between the brains of five men with alcoholic Korsakoff's syndrome and the brains of men with Alzheimer's disease as well as the brains of healthy men, found that the brains of all Korsakoff's patients and Alzheimer's patients were comparable in significant volume loss in the hippocampus. Greater hippocampal damage (for Korsakoff's patients) and smaller hippocampal size (for Alzheimer’s) was correlated with poorer memory performance. It is suggested that, although there are of course a number of differences between these disorders, the nature of the memory impairment may be the same. Awareness of the similarities may help detection of both disorders.
The study was published in the December 23 issue of Neurology. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-12/aaon-seu121503.htm

September 2003

Study of alcoholics reveals connection between cerebellum and prefrontal cortex

Two functions commonly compromised by chronic alcoholism are executive functions (such as problem solving, putting things in order, working memory, doing multiple tasks at once) and balance (the ability to walk a straight line or stand on one foot, especially with eyes closed or in the dark). Executive functions are primarily processed in the prefrontal cortex, while balance and postural stability are functions of the cerebellum. Previous studies have shown that the prefrontal cortex and regions of the cerebellum are especially vulnerable to the effects of chronic alcoholism. Although these areas are spatially far apart (the former in the frontal lobes, the latter in the hindbrain), they are connected in a variety of ways, most particularly through the pons and the thalamus. An imaging study of 25 nonamnesic alcoholic men suggests that these connections may compound the damaging effects of alcohol on these brain regions, and that the cerebellum, through these connections, can exert a significant effect on functions of the prefrontal cortex.
The study was reported in the September issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-09/ace-amc090803.htm

August 2002

Alcoholics' cognitive impairment associated with impaired reaction to stress

The body secretes a hormone called cortisol in response to stress. Areas of the brain involved in memory and problem-solving are responsive to cortisol. A new study has found impaired release of cortisol in recently detoxified alcoholics when performing two tasks known to induce stress: mental arithmetic problems and a "cold pressor" task, which requires submerging one hand in ice water for 90 seconds. This was associated with lower scores on measures of problem-solving ability and memory. The study also found that, among alcoholics, the number of withdrawals from alcohol was the strongest predictor of memory impairments, but not of problem-solving ability. The greater the alcoholics' relative cortisol levels were during alcohol withdrawal, the more likely they were to have low scores on one of the problem-solving tests. Nonalcoholic participants showed a connection between higher post-stress cortisol levels and impaired memory, a finding supported by earlier research.
The study was published in the August issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2002-08/cfta-air080902.htm

Recovery

August 2006

Most of the cognitive deficits associated with alcoholism recoverable

Results of a study involving middle-aged alcoholics who have been sober for six months to 13 years, suggest that long-term abstinent alcoholics can recover most of their neurocognitive deficits. However, deficits in spatial-processing abilities continued. Visuospatial processes are important for many daily activities, including driving, reading a map, assembling things, and performing tasks that require spatial orientation. The study doesn’t however know how much damage had been done when the alcoholics ceased drinking; further studies are exploring the recovery of older abstinent alcoholics who ceased drinking at different ages.
Results are published in the September issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-08/ace-lam082106.htm

November 2004

New brain cells develop during alcohol abstinence

A rat study has found that the detrimental effect of alcohol on the formation of new neurons in the adult rat hippocampus is followed by a pronounced increase in new neuron formation in the hippocampus within four-to-five weeks of abstinence. This included a twofold burst in brain cell proliferation at day seven of abstinence. The findings may have significant implications for treatment of alcoholism during recovery. The discovery of regeneration of neurons in recovery opens up new avenues of therapies aimed at regeneration of brain cells.
The study appeared in the Oct. 27 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-11/uonc-nbc110504.htm

Effects on juvenile and adolescent brains

February 2005

Alcohol's damaging effects on adolescent brain function

A number of speakers at Symposium speakers at the June 2004 Research Society on Alcoholism meeting in Vancouver, reported on research concerning the vulnerability of the adolescent brain to the damaging effects of alcohol. Some of the findings presented were:

• The adolescent brain is more vulnerable than the adult brain to disruption from activities such as binge drinking. Adolescent rats that were exposed to binge drinking appear to have permanent damage in their adult brains.
• Subtle but important brain changes occur among adolescents with Alcohol Use Disorder, resulting in a decreased ability in problem solving, verbal and non-verbal retrieval, visuospatial skills, and working memory.
• The association between antisocial behavior during adolescence and alcoholism may be explained by abnormalities in the frontal limbic system, which appears to cause "blunted emotional reactivity".
• Alcohol-induced memory impairments, such as "blackouts", are particularly common among young drinkers and may be at least in part due to disrupted neural plasticity in the hippocampus, which is centrally involved in the formation of autobiographical memories.

The papers were presented at the June 2004 Research Society on Alcoholism meeting in Vancouver, B.C. Proceedings were published in the February issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-02/ace-ade020705.htm

February 2004

Even small amounts of alcohol or anesthetics may damage the developing brain

Mouse studies suggest that even small amounts of alcohol or anesthetic drugs can trigger nerve cell death in the developing brain. The brain appears most sensitive to this effect during the development stage known as the brain growth spurt. In humans this lasts from about the sixth month of pregnancy to a child's third birthday. Nerve cells are genetically programmed to commit suicide if they fail to make synaptic connections on time. Alcohol and anesthetic drugs interfere with the brain's neurotransmitter systems and with the formation of those synaptic connections, automatically activating a signal within the neuron that directs it to commit suicide.
The research was reported at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-02/wuso-sao021104.htm

Prenatal exposure

September 2007

Possible genetic risk for fetal alcohol disorders

In partial explanation of why children who are exposed to alcohol because their mothers drank during pregnancy are differently affected, new research with rhesus monkeys has found evidence of a gene variant that appears to make the carrier more susceptible to the effects of fetal alcohol exposure. The gene involved is the serotonin transporter gene promoter, and this variant has previously been implicated in increased depression risk.
The findings were reported online September 21 in Biological Psychiatry.    Full reference 
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-09/uow-srp092107.php

December 2006

Numbers, sequences pose problems for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome children

An assessment of 50 Canadian children aged six to 15 years, who had been diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, has revealed that they had specific deficits in memory for numbers and sequences, which may contribute to common math difficulties faced by these children. The study also found differences between Aboriginal children and Caucasian children with FASD.
The findings were published in the December issue of Child Neuropsychology. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-12/uoa-nsp122006.htm

May 2006

Prenatal exposure to alcohol linked to lower I.Q.

Analysis of data from the Maternal Health Practices and Child Development Project, an examination of prenatal substance use among women who attended a prenatal clinic from 1983 to 1985, has found that even light to moderate drinking – especially during the second trimester – is associated with lower IQs in African-American offspring at 10 years of age, but not Caucasian children. The difference was not due to differences in the amount or pattern of alcohol use during pregnancy or by differences in socioeconomic status.
The study appeared in the June issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-05/ace-lpa051806.htm

November 2005

New 'eye movement' test may help treat fetal alcohol syndrome

At present there are no objective diagnostic tools that can be used to distinguish between children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and those with other developmental disorders such as Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Many of the behavioural tests used to assess children with FASD are geared to white, middle-class English-speaking people. Now a pilot study involving 25 children aged 8-12 has found that the specific brain abnormalities associated with FASD can be identified using a simple test that measures eye movement.
The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the international Society for Neuroscience in Washington, D.C. Reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-11/qu-nm111105.htm

September 2005

Key neural system at risk from fetal alcohol exposure

A study of pregnant rhesus monkeys has found that prenatal exposure to alcohol has pronounced effects on the development and function later in life of the brain's dopamine system. Dopamine is a key chemical messenger in the brain. The study indicates there is no safe dose, nor safe time to drink, for pregnant women. The monkeys consumed the equivalent of one to two drinks a day. Abnormalities in dopamine functioning can contribute to addiction, memory, attention and problem solving, and more pronounced conditions such as schizophrenia. The nature of the damage is significantly different depending on the timing of the alcohol exposure.
The report appeared in the September 15 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-09/uow-kns091305.htm

August 2005

Prenatal alcohol exposure can lead to lasting changes in cognitive processing

A study involving 337 African-American children, 7.5 years of age, selected from the Detroit Prenatal Alcohol Longitudinal Cohort, has found that although children known to have been prenatally exposed to moderate-to-heavy levels of alcohol were able to perform as well as other children when tasks were simple – such as naming colors within a timed period – when pressed to respond quickly while having to think about the response, their processing speed slowed down significantly. The observed deficits in working memory are thought to be partly a result of the slower processing speed. The study also confirmed earlier suggestions that number processing is particularly affected.
Results were published in the August issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-08/ace-pae080705.htm

November 2004

Prenatal alcohol exposure has effects far beyond fetal alcohol syndrome

Numerous studies have documented IQ deficits in children with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Little research, however, has found IQ deficits in children with alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND), who generally exhibit less severe neurobehavioral deficits than children with FAS. A new study demonstrates that what was interpreted in prior studies as a lack of any IQ effects in nonsyndromal, alcohol-exposed children was really due to a differential effect of exposure related to several risk/protective factors. Specifically, children whose mothers are older than 30 years, those whose mothers have alcohol dependence, those whose parents provide a less stimulating environment, and those whose mothers reported drinking during the time of conception, are at greater risk from pre-natal alcohol exposure.
The study appeared in the November issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-11/ace-pae110804.htm

August 2004

New hope for children with fetal alcohol syndrome

A study of 415 people diagnosed with either fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) or fetal alcohol effect (FAE) found two factors greatly increased the chances of escaping the negative experiences common to those with such problems - being diagnosed early in life and being raised in a stable and nurturing environment. These findings offer hope in a situation that many have regarded as hopeless.
The report appeared in the Aug. 12 edition of the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics . Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-08/uow-nhf081004.htm

March 2004

Light drinking during pregnancy may lead to learning and memory deficits in adolescents

The dangers for the developing child of heavy drinking during pregnancy are well-known, but an ongoing longitudinal study of 580 children and their mothers has found that even light to moderate drinking may have significant effects on the cognitive development of the child – effects which show up in adolescents in subtle difficulties with learning and memory, specifically in the auditory/verbal domain.
The study was published in the March issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-03/ace-ltm030804.htm

Deficits associated with prenatal alcohol exposure can be seen as early as infancy

Most of the research on arousal and attention deficits caused by prenatal alcohol exposure has been conducted with children. A new study examined different components of attention through use of heart-rate data collected from six-month-old infants. The findings indicate that slower processing speeds and arousal-regulation problems exist as early as infancy.
The study was published in the March issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-03/ace-daw030804.htm

April 2003

Prenatal exposure to alcoholaffects executive functioning in young children

A study of 316 four-year-old children whose mothers had used various combinations of cocaine, alcohol, and/or marijuana during pregnancy, found that children in the alcohol-exposed group performed significantly worse at an inhibition task than the children in the control group (no maternal use of such substances during pregnancy). This effect persisted even after controlling for prenatal drug exposure, postnatal environmental factors, and child verbal IQ, and suggests that children exposed prenatally to alcohol find it more difficult to inhibit inappropriate behaviors. This may partly explain why such children are at greater risk for social and academic problems. The subtle effect may not be noticeable in most children, but for those who operate at lower levels of functioning, the effect may make all the difference between coping and not. This effect occurred with prenatal alcohol exposure of less than one drink per day. In the United States, it is estimated that among women who know they are pregnant, 2% continue to drink at a moderate level and 5% continue to have at least two drinks per week.
The study was published in the April issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-04/ace-efi040503.htm

August 2002

Motor skill training may help children with fetal alcohol exposure

The disorders associated with fetal exposure to alcohol are a leading cause of mental retardation and developmental delay.Research with rats has looked at the effect of motor skill training on the development of rats similarly exposed to alcohol at a critical stage of their prenatal development. Those rats trained in increasingly difficult challenges involving motor skills were found to develop 20% more synapses in the cerebellum than the rats that did not train, even though they had the expected 30% loss of Purkinje cells. The research brings hope that, despite the damage done to the motor function, it may be possible to rehabilitate these deficits if caught early enough.
The study was published in the 24 May issue of Brain Research. Full reference
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2002-08/uoia-cpl080702.htm