Infant circulating MicroRNAs as biomarkers of effect in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

ABSTRACT: Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can result in cognitive and behavioral disabilities and growth deficits. Because alcohol-related neurobehavioral deficits may occur in the absence of overt dysmorphic features or growth deficits, there is a need to identify biomarkers of PAE that can predict neurobehavioral impairment. In this study, we assessed infant plasma extracellular, circulating miRNAs (_exmiRNAs) obtained from a heavily exposed Cape Town cohort to determine whether these can be used to predict PAE-related growth restriction and cognitive impairment. PAE, controlling for smoking as a covariate, altered 27% of expressed _exmiRNAs with clinically-relevant effect sizes (Cohen's d ≥ 0.4). Moreover, at 2 weeks, PAE increased correlated expression of _exmiRNAs

SUBMITTER: Mahnke AH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7809131 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature