Heavy Prenatal Alcohol Exposure is Related to Smaller Corpus Callosum in Newborn MRI Scans. (3rd April 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jacobson, Sandra W.; Jacobson, Joseph L.; Molteno, Christopher D.; Warton, Christopher M.R.; Wintermark, Pia; Hoyme, H. Eugene; De Jong, Greetje; Taylor, Paul; Warton, Fleur; Lindinger, Nadine M.; Carter, R. Colin; Dodge, Neil C.; Grant, Ellen; Warfield, Simon K.; Zöllei, Lilla; van der Kouwe, André J.W.; Meintjes, Ernesta M.
• Is Part Of: Alcoholism. Volume 41:Number 5(2017)
• Page Start: 965
• Page End: 975
• Publication Date: 2017-04-03
• Subjects: Corpus Callosum -- Neonatal Brain MRI -- Manual Tracing -- Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders -- Prenatal Alcohol Exposure -- Fetal Alcohol Syndrome; Alcoholism -- Periodicals; Alcoholism -- Periodicals; Alcoolisme; Electronic journals; Périodique électronique (Descripteur de forme); Ressource Internet (Descripteur de forme); 616.861005
• DOI: 10.1111/acer.13363
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0145-6008

Abstract

Abstract : Background: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have consistently demonstrated disproportionately smaller corpus callosa in individuals with a history of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) but have not previously examined the feasibility of detecting this effect in infants. Tissue segmentation of the newborn brain is challenging because analysis techniques developed for the adult brain are not directly transferable, and segmentation for cerebral morphometry is difficult in neonates, due to the latter's incomplete myelination. This study is the first to use volumetric structural MRI to investigate PAE effects in newborns using manual tracing and to examine the cross‐sectional area of the corpus callosum (CC). Methods: Forty‐three nonsedated infants born to 32 Cape Coloured heavy drinkers and 11 controls recruited prospectively during pregnancy were scanned using a custom‐designed birdcage coil for infants, which increases signal‐to‐noise ratio almost 2‐fold compared to the standard head coil. Alcohol use was ascertained prospectively during pregnancy, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders diagnosis was conducted by expert dysmorphologists. Data were acquired using a multi‐echo FLASH protocol adapted for newborns, and a knowledge‐based procedure was used to hand‐segment the neonatal brains. Results: CC was disproportionately smaller in alcohol‐exposed neonates than controls after controlling for intracranial volume. By contrast, CC area was unrelated to infant sex, gestational age, age at scan, or maternal smoking, marijuana, or methamphetamine use during pregnancy. Conclusions: Given that midline craniofacial anomalies have been recognized as a hallmark of fetal alcohol syndrome in humans and animal models since this syndrome was first identified, the CC deficit identified here in newborns may support early identification of a range of midline structural impairments. Smaller CC during the newborn period may provide an early indicator of fetal alcohol‐related cognitive deficits that have been linked to this critically important brain structure in childhood and adolescence. Abstract : We used manually traced MRI images to investigate prenatal alcohol exposure effects on corpus callosum (CC) size in 43 nonsedated newborns. CC was disproportionately smaller in alcohol‐exposed neonates than controls after adjustment for intracranial volume. By contrast, CC area was unrelated to sex, gestational age, age at scan, smoking, marijuana, or methamphetamine exposure. Given that midline craniofacial anomalies are hallmarks of FAS, smaller CC may provide an early indicator of alcohol‐related cognitive deficits linked to this brain structure in childhood.