FASD Flashcards
(41 cards)
Prevalence of FASD in SA
13.6-20.9%, highest recorded prevalence in the world
What is a teratogen?
A factor that causes malformation in an embryo
Continuous alcohol exposure
- Light: less than 0.5oz a day
- Moderate: 0.5-0.99oz a day
- Heavy: more than 1oz a day
1oz = 2 drinks
Definition of binge drinking
Female: 4 drinks a session
Male: 5 drinks a session
Prenatal factors for FASD (6)
- Maternal health
- Critical period
- Dosage and duration
- Genetic make up
- Mother’s lifestyle
- Metabolising of alcohol, in mother
Postnatal risk factors
Social environment
What is a biomarker?
A biological marker of exposure to alcohol as a foetus.
Example of a biomarker
Fatty acid ethyl ester trapped in meconium
What is a biobehavioral marker?
Behavioural outcome linked to FASD where the neural substrates have been identified and can be studied directly
Pros of biobehavioral markers
It can be used to identify degrees of impairment and can improve diagnosis and treatment
Four different pathologies of FASD
- Fetal alcohol syndrome
- Partial FAS
- Alcohol related neurodevelopmental disorder
- Alcohol related birth defects
Diagnostic criteria for FAS (4)
- Prenatal exposure
- Deficits in central nervous system development and functioning
- Deficient growth pattern
- Craniofacial irregularities
Diagnostic criteria for PFAS (3)
- Prenatal alcohol exposure
- Some characteristic facial features
- Either CNS deficiencies OR cognitive/behavioural deficits OR physical growth symptoms
Diagnostic criteria for Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder (2)
- Prenatal alcohol exposure
2. Deficits in CNS: development and/or functioning (cognitive + behavioural difficulties)
Diagnostic criteria for Alcohol Related Birth Defects (2)
- Prenatal alcohol exposure
2. Conventional physical abnormalities
Effects on brain development (2)
- An overall reduction in brain size, particularly the inferior parietal, frontal and perisylvian areas (implicated in language)
- Decreased white matter integrity, compromising internal brain communication
Effects on the cerebellum (2)
- The volume is reduced, which affects finer coordination skills
- Displacement of the anterior vermis (a map-like set up of the body on grey matter)
Effects on the corpus callosum (2)
- The volume is reduced, it may not develop at all
2. Linked to deficits like learning difficulties and impaired information processing
Effects on the basal ganglia (3)
- The volume is reduced
- Cognitive aspects of emotional processing is impaired (theory of the mind etc.)
- Affects the caudate nucleus particularly, which works with storing and processing memory, NB in the feedback mechanism. This deficit creates stunted social engagement.
Effects on the hippocampus and amygdala
The research is new, but suggests a problem with the regulation of fear and emotions
General outcome of task completion in FASD
Smaller networks are compromised, so individuals use wider networks to complete specific tasks
Two components of developmental trajectory
- There is a relationship between facial dysmorphology, bran development size and lowered IQ
- Delayed white matter development in frontal association areas
Effects on attention (3)
- Poor sustained attention
- Impaired performance of tests of working memory
- High comorbidity with ADHD, but the attention impairment is different, FASD = auditory, ADHD = global
Effects on learning and memory (3)
- Impaired audio-verbal learning and memory (encoding, recall is spared)
- Impaired visual spatial learning and memory
- Impairment in prospective memory
