Kar Preeti, Reynolds Jess E, Grohs Melody N, Gibbard W Ben, McMorris Carly, Tortorelli Christina, Lebel Catherine
Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Dev Neurobiol. 2021 May;81(4):400-410. doi: 10.1002/dneu.22821. Epub 2021 Apr 27.
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can lead to cognitive, behavioural, and social-emotional challenges. Previous neuroimaging research has identified structural brain alterations in newborns, older children, adolescents, and adults with PAE; however, little is known about brain structure in young children. Extensive brain development occurs during early childhood; therefore, understanding the neurological profiles of young children with PAE is critical for early identification and effective intervention. We studied 54 children (5.21 ± 1.11 years; 27 males) with confirmed PAE (94% also had other prenatal exposures, 74% had adverse postnatal experiences) compared with 54 age- and sex-matched children without PAE. Children underwent diffusion tensor imaging between 2 and 7 years of age. Mean fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) were obtained for 10 major white matter tracts. Univariate analyses of covariance were used to test group differences (PAE vs. control) controlling for age and sex. The PAE group had higher FA in the genu of the corpus callosum and lower MD in the bilateral uncinate fasciculus. The PAE group also had lower tract volume in the corpus callosum, the bilateral inferior fronto-occipital fasciculi, and the right superior longitudinal fasciculus. Our findings align with studies of newborns with PAE reporting lower diffusivity, but contrast those in older populations with PAE, which consistently report lower FA and higher MD. Further research is needed to understand trajectories of white matter development and how our results of higher FA/lower MD in young children connect with lower FA/higher MD observed at older ages.
产前酒精暴露（PAE）会导致认知、行为和社会情感方面的挑战。先前的神经影像学研究已经确定了患有PAE的新生儿、大龄儿童、青少年和成年人的脑结构改变；然而，对于幼儿的脑结构却知之甚少。幼儿期会发生广泛的脑发育；因此，了解患有PAE的幼儿的神经学特征对于早期识别和有效干预至关重要。我们研究了54名确诊患有PAE的儿童（5.21±1.11岁；27名男性）（94%还存在其他产前暴露情况，74%有不良产后经历），并与54名年龄和性别匹配的未患PAE的儿童进行了比较。这些儿童在2至7岁之间接受了扩散张量成像检查。获取了10条主要白质束的平均各向异性分数（FA）和平均扩散率（MD）。使用协方差单变量分析来检验在控制年龄和性别的情况下两组之间的差异（PAE组与对照组）。PAE组胼胝体膝部的FA较高，双侧钩束的MD较低。PAE组在胼胝体、双侧额枕下束和右侧上纵束中的束体积也较小。我们的研究结果与关于患有PAE的新生儿的研究结果一致，即扩散率较低，但与关于患有PAE的大龄人群的研究结果形成对比，后者一直报告FA较低和MD较高。需要进一步研究以了解白质发育轨迹，以及我们在幼儿中观察到的较高FA/较低MD的结果如何与在大龄时观察到的较低FA/较高MD相联系。
