Department of Neuroscience, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada.
Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI), University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada.
Nutrients. 2022 May 26;14(11):2213. doi: 10.3390/nu14112213.
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) negatively affects brain development and increases the risk of poor mental health. We investigated if brain volumes or magnetic susceptibility, an indirect measure of brain iron, were associated with internalizing or externalizing symptoms in youth with and without PAE. T1-weighted and quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) MRI scans were collected for 19 PAE and 40 unexposed participants aged 7.5-15 years. Magnetic susceptibility and volume of basal ganglia and limbic structures were extracted using FreeSurfer. Internalizing and Externalizing Problems were assessed using the Behavioural Assessment System for Children (BASC-2-PRS). Susceptibility in the nucleus accumbens was negatively associated with Internalizing Problems, while amygdala susceptibility was positively associated with Internalizing Problems across groups. PAE moderated the relationship between thalamus susceptibility and internalizing symptoms as well as the relationship between putamen susceptibility and externalizing symptoms. Brain volume was not related to internalizing or externalizing symptoms. These findings highlight that brain iron is related to internalizing and externalizing symptoms differently in some brain regions for youth with and without PAE. Atypical iron levels (high or low) may indicate mental health issues across individuals, and iron in the thalamus may be particularly important for behavior in individuals with PAE.
产前酒精暴露（PAE）会对大脑发育产生负面影响，并增加心理健康不良的风险。我们研究了大脑体积或磁化率（大脑铁的间接测量指标）是否与 PAE 青少年的内化或外化症状有关。我们为 19 名 PAE 和 40 名未暴露的 7.5-15 岁参与者收集了 T1 加权和定量磁化率映射（QSM）MRI 扫描。使用 FreeSurfer 提取基底节和边缘结构的磁化率和体积。使用儿童行为评估系统（BASC-2-PRS）评估内化和外化问题。在各组中，伏隔核的磁化率与内化问题呈负相关，杏仁核的磁化率与内化问题呈正相关。PAE 调节了丘脑磁化率与内化症状之间的关系，以及壳核磁化率与外化症状之间的关系。脑体积与内化或外化症状无关。这些发现强调了在有和没有 PAE 的青少年的一些大脑区域中，大脑铁与内化和外化症状的关系不同。铁水平异常（高或低）可能表明个体存在心理健康问题，而丘脑铁可能对 PAE 个体的行为尤为重要。
