| Title |
Alcohol exposure in utero is associated with decreased gray matter volume in neonates
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Metabolic Brain Disease, November 2015
|
| DOI | 10.1007/s11011-015-9771-0 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Kirsten A. Donald, J. P. Fouche, Annerine Roos, Nastassja Koen, Fleur M. Howells, Edward P. Riley, Roger P. Woods, Heather J. Zar, Katherine L. Narr, Dan J. Stein |
| Abstract |
Neuroimaging studies have indicated that prenatal alcohol exposure is associated with alterations in the structure of specific brain regions. However, the temporal specificity of such changes and their behavioral consequences are less known. Here we explore the brain structure of infants with in utero exposure to alcohol shortly after birth. T2 structural MRI images were acquired from 28 alcohol-exposed infants and 45 demographically matched healthy controls at 2-4 weeks of age on a 3T Siemens Allegra system as part of large birth cohort study, the Drakenstein Child Health Study (DCHS). Neonatal neurobehavior was assessed at this visit; early developmental outcome assessed on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development III at 6 months of age. Volumes of gray matter regions were estimated based on the segmentations of the University of North Carolina neonatal atlas. Significantly decreased total gray matter volume was demonstrated for the alcohol-exposed cohort compared to healthy control infants (p < 0.001). Subcortical gray matter regions that were significantly different between groups after correcting for overall gray matter volume included left hippocampus, bilateral amygdala and left thalamus (p < 0.01). These findings persisted even when correcting for infant age, gender, ethnicity and maternal smoking status. Both early neurobehavioral and developmental adverse outcomes at 6 months across multiple domains were significantly associated with regional volumes primarily in the temporal and frontal lobes in infants with prenatal alcohol exposure. Alcohol exposure during the prenatal period has potentially enduring neurobiological consequences for exposed children. These findings suggest the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on brain growth is present very early in the first year of life, a period during which the most rapid growth and maturation occurs. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 3 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 1 | 33% |
| Unknown | 2 | 67% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 3 | 100% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 157 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 1 | <1% |
| Unknown | 156 | 99% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 24 | 15% |
| Student > Bachelor | 24 | 15% |
| Researcher | 22 | 14% |
| Student > Master | 18 | 11% |
| Professor > Associate Professor | 6 | 4% |
| Other | 23 | 15% |
| Unknown | 40 | 25% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine and Dentistry | 30 | 19% |
| Psychology | 22 | 14% |
| Neuroscience | 15 | 10% |
| Social Sciences | 12 | 8% |
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 10 | 6% |
| Other | 24 | 15% |
| Unknown | 44 | 28% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 3. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 21 December 2015.
All research outputs
#13,217,403
of 22,834,308 outputs
Outputs from Metabolic Brain Disease
#466
of 1,055 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#181,930
of 387,736 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Metabolic Brain Disease
#10
of 28 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 22,834,308 research outputs across all sources so far. This one is in the 41st percentile – i.e., 41% of other outputs scored the same or lower than it.
So far Altmetric has tracked 1,055 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a little more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 5.3. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 55% of its peers.
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We're also able to compare this research output to 28 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 64% of its contemporaries.