The impact of prenatal alcohol exposure on gray matter volume and cortical surface area of 2 to 3-year-old children in a South African birth cohort.

ABSTRACT:

Background

There is a growing literature that demonstrates the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) on brain development in school-aged children. Less is known, however, on how PAE impacts the brain early in life. We investigated the effects of PAE and child sex on subcortical gray matter volume, cortical surface area (CSA), cortical volume (CV), and cortical thickness (CT) in children aged 2 to 3 years.

Methods

The sample was recruited as a nested cross-sectional substudy of the Drakenstein Child Health Study. Images from T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging were acquired on 47 alcohol-exposed and 124 control children (i.e., with no or minimal alcohol exposure), aged 2 to 3 years, some of whom were scanned as neonates. Brain images were processed through automated p

SUBMITTER: Subramoney S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9357164 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature