Prenatal Exposure to Alcohol: What the Images Reveal

Case studies and statistical analyses of groups of children with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) or prenatal exposure to alcohol (PEA) have been performed using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques. These studies show that alcohol exposure during pregnancy can result in a range of structural brain abnormalities. Among severely affected children, widespread damage may occur to the corpus callosum, basal ganglia, hippocampus, and cerebellum. Throughout the range of severity, however, overall reduction of the brain is apparent, and in particular, portions of the cerebellum, basal ganglia, and corpus callosum are disproportionately reduced in size among children with FAS and PEA. These children also have been shown to have cognitive deficits, although these have not been linked to abnormalities in specific brain areas.