fetus winning: Alcohol Exposure During Stages of Pregnancy

Here we learn a bit about alcohol effects inside the brain. As you see, we are talking about a lot of the brain and its vital functions being compromised and we already know that the more the alcohol consumption the greater the damage.

1. During the first trimester, as shown by the research of Drs. Clarren and Streissguth, alcohol interferes with the migration and organization of brain cells. [Journal of Pediatrics, 92(1):64-67]

2. Heavy drinking during the second trimester, particularly from the 10th to 20th week after conception, seems to cause more clinical features of FAS than at other times during pregnancy, according to a study in England. [Early-Human-Development; 1983 Jul Vol. 8(2) 99-111]

3. During the third trimester, according to Dr. Claire D. Coles, the hippocampus is greatly affected, which leads to problems with encoding visual and auditory information (reading and math). [Neurotoxicology And Teratology, 13:357-367, 1991]

The regions of the brain that might be affected by prenatal alcohol exposure in terms of ability to function include:

Corpus Callosum - passes information from the left brain (rules, logic) to the right brain (impulse, feelings) and vice versa. The Corpus Callosum in an individual with FAS/ARND might be smaller than normal, and in some cases it is almost nonexistent. (MRI images)

Hippocampus - plays a fundamental role in memory.

Hypothalamus - controls appetite, emotions, temperature, and pain sensation.

Cerebellum - controls coordination and movement, behavior and memory.

Basal Ganglia - affects spatial memory and behaviors like perseveration and the inability to switch modes, work toward goals, and predict behavioral outcomes, and the perception of time.

Frontal Lobes - controls impulses and judgment. The most noteworthy damage to the brain probably occurs in the prefrontal cortex, which controls what are called the Executive Functions.