Defining the behavioral phenotype in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: a review.

Full Abstract

While there exists a large body of literature on cognitive functions in children with prenatal alcohol exposure, it remains undetermined if these children exhibit a unique profile of cognitive-behavioral functioning or a behavioral phenotype. Researchers have consistently found that intellectual functioning, as assessed by IQ tests, of children with prenatal alcohol exposure is deficient. There is increasing evidence that prenatal alcohol exposure is associated with slow information processing and attentional problems, in particular inattentiveness. Studies examining specific cognitive abilities such as language, visual perception, and memory in alcohol-affected children have shown performance decrements associated with increased task complexity. Children with prenatal alcohol exposure have also been found to exhibit significant deficits in daily functional skills or adaptive behavior, with deficits in socialization becoming pronounced during adolescence. The above findings point to the conclusion that a generalized deficit in complex information processing constitutes the central cognitive-behavioral characteristic of children with prenatal alcohol exposure. Researchers have consistently documented that specific brain regions are more affected by alcohol than other regions. The problem of mapping focal anomalies of the brain with a generalized pattern of deficits can be solved by taking developmental processes into consideration.

Learn Faster Today Improve your study skills

Author information

Author/s: Kodituwakku, P W (PW);

Affiliation: Center for Development and Disability, University of New Mexico, 2300 Menaul NE Albuquerque NM 87107, USA. pkodituwakku(-atsign-)salud.unm.edu

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Review

Journal: Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews (Neurosci Biobehav Rev), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2007-; vol 31 (issue 2) : pp 192-201

Dates: Created 2007/01/16; Completed 2007/04/17;

PMID: 16930704, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article (including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.

MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Animals
Behavioral Symptoms - etiology
Child
Cognition
Female
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome - physiopathology
Humans
Language

These are the highest related articles currently in the database:

See 100+ related articles.