Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

M A R Y E T B O Y L E P H D

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

M A R Y E T B O Y L E , P H . D .D E P A R T M E N T O F C O G N I T I V E S C I E N C E

U C S D

Failures of Neural Development:Environmental (external) factors

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)

( )

y ( ) Cause

Consumption of alcohol during pregnancyCh t i ti Characteristics Physical—diminished height, distinctive facial features, altered

nose and eyelids Behavioral and cognitive—mental retardation, hyperactivity, and

irritability

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome:

Dr. Ken Jones

New York Times, 2007

The physical landmarks of the human face are very similar from one face to another.

A simian crease is a single palmar crease as A simian crease is a single palmar crease as compared to two creases in a normal palm. Simian crease occurs in about 1 out of 30 normal people, but is also frequently associated with other conditions such as Down syndrome, Aarskog syndrome or fetal alcohol syndrome.

Brain of baby with no exposure to alcohol

Brain of baby with heavy prenatal exposure to alcohol

Photo courtesy of Sterling Clarren, MD

A child with FAS(a) shares the typical craniofacial features, including microcephaly, short palpebral fissures a palpebral fissures, a small nose, and long(from nose to mouth) upper lip with a deficient t a de c e t philtrum, with a mouse fetus whose mother was treated with alcohol on her seventh day ofpregnancy (b). Illustrated for comparison is a normal mouse fetus of the same developmental developmental stage (c).

The face and forebrain of a normal gestational Day 11 mouse embryo (a and b) compared with those of three embryoscompared with those of three embryos (c and d; e and f; g and h) affected to differing degrees by maternal ethanol treatment on Day 7 of pregnancy illustrate concurrent loss of the ‘‘midline’’ tissuesof the  midline  tissues.

In particular, note the abnormally close proximity of the nostrils, with absence of portions of the medial nasal prominencesportions of the medial nasal prominences (m), as well as similarabnormal proximity of the ganglioniceminences (g) and absence of the septalregion (s)region (s).

Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology 2001, 43: 148–154

Brain abnormalities

Acallosal – agenesis of the corpus callosum Thin corpus callosum - disgenesis

Normal child FAS children with focally thinCorpus callosum or acallosal.

(Mattson, Jernigan, & Riley, 1994).