Whether women can safely drink alcohol during pregnancy has been an unsolved question.
In a new study, researchers confirmed that there is no safe amount of alcohol during pregnancy.
They found that children who were exposed to alcohol while in the womb showed brain activity similar to that in impaired cognition.
The study was conducted by an international group of researchers.
In the study, the team focused on fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).
FASD is one of the leading causes of cognitive impairment in the world and is linked to many brain health issues, such as ADHD.
Although scientists supposed that there are links between mothers’ alcohol consumption during pregnancy and FASD, the extent of this effect is unclear.
In the current research, the team used a brain imaging technique called magnetoencephalography (MEG) to solve the problem.
They also developed an advanced computer technique called Cortical Start Spatio-Temporal multi-dipole analysis to help identify which brain areas of the brain were active.
They tested 19 teenagers with FASD and 21 healthy teenagers without FASD.
The results showed several brain areas that showed impaired connectivity in the FASD group.
For example, teenagers who were exposed to alcohol in the womb were more likely to have problems with connections through their corpus callosum.
This brain tissue connects the left and right halves of the brain.
Previous research has found that deficits in this area have been found in schizophrenia, multiple sclerosis, autism, depression, and abnormalities in sensation.
The team suggests that the finding provides important information about FASD. It also shows that simple sensory measures may provide valuable information about brain deficits.
This is one of the first studies in which researchers have been able to measure the effects of alcohol exposure on the developing brain.
The team hopes their work could help prevent diseases like FASD and develop new treatments.
One author of the study is Julia Stephen.
The study is published in Chaos: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Nonlinear Science.
Copyright © 2019 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
