Neurodevelopmental Outcomes Associated with Prefrontal Cortical Deoxygenation in Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

ABSTRACT

Relationships between neurodevelopmental functioning and hemodynamic changes in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) were contrasted between children with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) and children who differed relative to their history of PAE and the presence of other neurodevelopmental impairment. For all groups, deoxygenated hemoglobin (HBR) levels in the medial PFC area were negatively related to externalizing problems and levels in the medial and right lateral PFC were positively related to errors on a cognitive inhibition task. Hemodynamic changes in the medial and right lateral PFC of children with PAE demonstrated stronger relationships to aspects of executive functioning relative to contrast groups.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the children and their families who participated in this research.

Abbreviations

EFexecutive functioningHBOoxygenated hemoglobinHBRdeoxygenated hemoglobinPAEprenatal alcohol exposurePFCprefrontal cortexFASDsfetal alcohol spectrum disordersfNIRsfunctional near-infrared spectroscopyMBLLmodified Beer-Lambert LawADHDattention-deficit hyperactivity disorderLEDSlight-emitting diodesCOBIcognitive optical brain imagingSMARsliding-window motion artifact rejectionFETCHfrustration emotion task for childrenCBCLchild behavior checklistCONcontrolsCCclinical contrast group

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by supported by a grant from the Spray Foundation and by an NIH Research Grant #U01 AA014834 and #U24 AA014811 funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). All or part of this work was done in conjunction with the Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (CIFASD), which is funded by grants from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Additional information about CIFASD can be found at www.cifasd.org