Experimental Approaches to the Study of Behavioral Impairments Associated with Prenatal Exposure to Alcohol

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) in children whose mothers consumed alcohol during pregnancy are characterized by a wide spectrum of anatomical and physical abnormalities, growth delay, and functional impairments to the nervous system. The most severe form of FASD is fetal alcohol syndrome, w...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inNeuroscience and behavioral physiology Vol. 49; no. 7; pp. 894 - 902
Main Authors Razumkina, E. V., Anokhin, P. K., Proskuryakova, T. V., Shamakina, I. Yu
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New York Springer US 15.09.2019
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects
Alcohol
Alcohols
Animals
Behavioral Sciences
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Children
Environmental factors
Executive function
Fetal alcohol syndrome
Genetic factors
Nervous system
Neurobiology
Neurosciences
Pregnancy
Prenatal experience
Prenatal exposure
development
experimental models
memory
cognitive functions
fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
learning
behavior
central nervous system
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) in children whose mothers consumed alcohol during pregnancy are characterized by a wide spectrum of anatomical and physical abnormalities, growth delay, and functional impairments to the nervous system. The most severe form of FASD is fetal alcohol syndrome, where these anomalies occur along with typical facial and cranial features and morphological changes to the brain. Despite widespread and numerous clinical studies, the basic mechanisms of FASD remain poorly investigated. Studies using experimental models of FASD play a key role in investigating the mechanisms of this pathology, providing for rapid studies of several generations of animals with monitoring of the contributions of social, environmental, and genetic factors to its development. This review addresses existing experimental approaches to studies of the behavioral aspects of FASD. Particular attention is paid to explorations of impairments to motor and executive functions, stress reactivity, learning, and memory – effects fundamentally similar in animals and children with FASD. The conclusion considers the important role of social and environmental factors in the early postnatal period in realizing the effects of prenatal alcoholization.
ISSN:0097-0549
1573-899X
DOI:10.1007/s11055-019-00816-x