Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) News and Research

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New training manual designed to help health care providers diagnose fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

Omar Rahman, M.D., director of the Munroe-Meyer Institute Department of Genetics at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, is part of a group that has created a training manual in both English and Spanish designed to help health care providers recognize and diagnose fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

11 Jun 2020

Self-care associated with greater confidence in parents of children with FASD

Children diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders--caused by prenatal alcohol exposure--often face lifelong developmental, cognitive and behavioral problems.

4 Feb 2020

Research evaluates prenatal care providers' understanding of alcohol exposure and screening practices

There is no amount, pattern or timing of alcohol use during pregnancy proven safe for a developing fetus. Repeat: there is no amount, pattern or timing of alcohol use during pregnancy proven safe for a developing fetus.

13 Jun 2019

New collaborative program receives CDC grant to reduce Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders affects approximately 1 in 20 children in the United States. These catastrophic and irreversible disorders are entirely preventable if no alcohol is used during pregnancy.

6 Oct 2018

Study accurately estimates prevalence of FASD in the United States

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine found a significant number of children across four regions in the United States were determined to have fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

7 Feb 2018

Neuroscientists discover how prenatal alcohol exposure increases risk for drug addiction later in life

One of the many negative consequences, when fetuses are exposed to alcohol in the womb, is an increased risk for drug addiction later in life.

10 Jul 2017

Maternal consumption of alcohol could produce transgenerational effects

Soon-to-be mothers have heard the warning - don't drink while pregnant. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued numerous statements about the dangers of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, as it can lead to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) in newborns.

7 Jul 2017

New study sheds light on how parents, caregivers can improve outcomes in children with FASD

A new study from the University of Rochester sheds light on how parents and caregivers of children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) can best help their kids, and at the same time, maintain peace at home and at school.

18 Nov 2016

Researchers identify blood test that may help predict FASD during pregnancy

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, Texas A&M College of Medicine and the Omni-Net Birth Defects Prevention Program in Ukraine have identified a blood test that may help predict how severely a baby will be affected by alcohol exposure during pregnancy, according to a study published November 9 in the journal PLOS ONE.

9 Nov 2016

Experts propose new clinical guidelines for diagnosing FASD

A group of experts on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, organized by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, has produced proposed clinical guidelines for diagnosing FASD, which can result when a mother drinks during pregnancy.

11 Aug 2016

Recent research gives more insight into genetics of FASD

In 1973, a group of birth defects associated with prenatal ethanol exposure was clinically recognized as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). Since then, scientists have come to realize that alcohol can cause a wide range of birth defects; these are collectively referred to as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD).

1 Jun 2016

Study may help identify unborn children at higher risk for birth defects

Researchers at the University of Toronto have discovered a novel function performed by the breast cancer 1 protein (BRCA1), which regulates DNA repair. Well known for the role it plays in breast and ovarian cancer, this study revealed that the BRCA1 protein actually plays a much broader biological role, particularly in protecting the developing embryo from the damaging effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS).

1 Apr 2016

Alcohol worst of all drugs that affect fetal health

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention set off a firestorm of controversy this month when they suggested that women stop drinking alcohol if they are trying to get pregnant, or could get pregnant. Some people took this advice as the CDC prioritizing hypothetical, yet-to-be-conceived children over real women, which has brought up a number of issues from female autonomy to access to birth control—but how clear is the science about what causes fetal alcohol syndrome and related fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

9 Mar 2016

Researchers describe three kinds of behavioural problems in children with FASD

Children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are affected by a range of problems, including anxiety, depression, aggression, delinquency and diminished learning capacity a new review of evidence reveals.

24 Feb 2016

CAMH researchers identify 428 distinct disease conditions that co-occur in people with FASD

Researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health have identified 428 distinct disease conditions that co-occur in people with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), in the most comprehensive review of its kind.

6 Jan 2016

Physical exercise can enhance development of new brain cells

Exercise can enhance the development of new brain cells in the adult brain, a process called adult neurogenesis. These newborn brain cells play an important role in learning and memory. A new study has determined that mice that spent time running on wheels not only developed twice the normal number of new neurons, but also showed an increased ability to distinguish new objects from familiar objects.

25 Nov 2015

Michael Charness named recipient of Henry Rosett Award for FASD research

Michael Charness, MD, professor of neurology and associate dean of veterans affairs at Boston University School of Medicine and Chief of Staff of the VA Boston Health Care System has been selected by the Rosett Committee of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Study Group as the 2015 recipient of the Henry Rosett Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) field.

23 Jun 2015

Study: Nearly 5% of U.S. children affected by fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

Nearly 5 percent of U.S. children may be affected by fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, according to a new study co-authored by Sanford Research's Gene Hoyme, M.D., and Amy Elliott, Ph.D., and published by Pediatrics.

30 Oct 2014

Study urges women not to drink during full nine months of pregnancy

All things in moderation, the saying goes, but if you are a pregnant woman no amount of alcohol is known to be safe for the developing baby.

8 Sep 2014

Children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders show weaker brain activation

In the first study of its kind, Prapti Gautam, PhD, and colleagues from The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles found that children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) showed weaker brain activation during specific cognitive tasks than their unaffected counterparts.

5 Aug 2014