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A new MRI study revealed that consumption of alcohol even in low to moderate amounts during pregnancy can change the baby's brain structure and delay brain development. "Fetal MRI is a highly specialized and safe examination method that allows us to make accurate statements about brain maturation prenatally," said study senior author Gregor Kasprian, M.D. Babies born with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders could develop learning disabilities, behavioral problems, or speech and language delays. For the study, researchers analyzed MRI exams of 24 fetuses with prenatal alcohol exposure. The fetuses were between 22 and 36 weeks of gestation at the time of MRI. In fetuses with alcohol exposure, the fetal total maturation score (fTMS) was significantly lower than in the age-matched controls, and the right superior temporal sulcus (STS) was shallower. The STS is involved in social cognition, audiovisual integration, and language perception. "We found the greatest changes in the temporal brain region and STS," Dr. Kasprian said. According to Patric Kienast, M.D., a Ph.D student, alcohol consumption should strictly be avoided by pregnant women. "As we show in our study, even low levels of alcohol consumption can lead to structural changes in brain development and delayed brain maturation." It is unclear how these structural changes will affect brain development in these babies after birth. "To assess this accurately, we need to wait for the children who were examined as fetuses at that time to get a little older, so that we can invite them back for further examinations," Dr. Kienast said. "However, we can strongly assume that the changes we discovered contribute to the cognitive and behavioral difficulties that may occur during childhood.”
TEXT 2 New research finds caffeine consumed during pregnancy can change important brain pathways that could lead to behavioral problems later in life. Researchers in the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) analyzed thousands of brain scans of nine and ten-year-olds, and revealed changes in the brain structure in children who were exposed to caffeine in utero. "These are sort of small effects and it's not causing horrendous psychiatric conditions, but it is causing minimal but noticeable behavioral issues that should make us consider long-term effects of caffeine intake during pregnancy," said John Foxe, Ph.D. "I suppose the outcome of this study will be a recommendation that any caffeine during pregnancy is probably not such a good idea." Elevated behavioral issues, attention difficulties, and hyperactivity are all symptoms that researchers observed in these children. "What makes this unique is that we have a biological pathway that looks different when you consume caffeine through pregnancy," said Zachary Christensen, a M.D/Ph.D. "Previous studies have shown that children perform differently on IQ tests, or they have different psychopathology, but that could also be related to demographics, so it's hard to parse that out until you have something like a biomarker. This gives us a place to start future research to try to learn exactly when the change is occurring in the brain." The researchers point out that it is unclear if the impact of the caffeine on the fetal brain varies from one trimester to the next, or when during gestation these structural changes occur. "Current clinical guidelines already suggest limiting caffeine intake during pregnancy, no more than two normal cups of coffee a day," Christensen said. "In the long term, we hope to develop better guidance for mothers, but in the meantime, they should ask their doctor as concerns arise.”
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