Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia; School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Alcohol. 2020 Aug;86:75-80. doi: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2020.03.010. Epub 2020 Mar 31.
Alcohol exposure during pregnancy has been associated with altered brain development and facial dysmorphology. While Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is not specifically related to distinct facial phenotypes, recent studies have suggested certain facial characteristics such as increased facial masculinity and asymmetry may be associated with ASD and its clinical presentations. In the present study, we conducted a preliminary investigation to examine facial morphology in autistic children with (n = 37; mean age = 8.21 years, SD = 2.72) and without (n = 100; mean age = 8.37 years, SD = 2.47) prenatal alcohol exposure. Using three-dimensional facial scans and principal component analysis, we identified a facial shape associated with prenatal alcohol exposure in autistic children. However, variations in the alcohol-related facial shape were generally not associated with behavioral and cognitive outcomes. These findings suggest that while early exposure to alcohol may influence the development of facial structures, it does not appear to be associated with ASD phenotypic variability. Importantly, although these findings do not implicate a role for prenatal alcohol exposure in the etiology of ASD, further research is warranted to investigate the link between prenatal alcohol exposure and facial morphology differences among neurodevelopmental conditions.
怀孕期间饮酒与大脑发育和面部畸形有关。虽然自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）与特定的面部表型无关，但最近的研究表明，某些面部特征，如面部男性化增加和不对称，可能与 ASD 及其临床表现有关。在本研究中，我们进行了一项初步研究，以检查有（n=37；平均年龄=8.21 岁，SD=2.72）和没有（n=100；平均年龄=8.37 岁，SD=2.47）产前酒精暴露的自闭症儿童的面部形态。使用三维面部扫描和主成分分析，我们确定了与自闭症儿童产前酒精暴露相关的面部形状。然而，与酒精相关的面部形状的变化通常与行为和认知结果无关。这些发现表明，尽管早期接触酒精可能会影响面部结构的发育，但它似乎与 ASD 的表型变异性无关。重要的是，尽管这些发现并没有表明产前酒精暴露在 ASD 发病机制中的作用，但需要进一步研究来调查产前酒精暴露与神经发育障碍中面部形态差异之间的联系。
