Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

If you are pregnant and drink alcohol, so does your baby. This can hurt your baby's growth and cause life-long physical and behavioral problems. One of the most severe effects of drinking during pregnancy is fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).

What is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) refers to a set of physical and mental defects that are caused by a mother consuming alcohol during pregnancy. The severity of FAS symptoms varies from child to child, but all defects that do occur are irreversible.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders FASD Treatments

Study shows evidence-based interventions can improve infant brain health

In the world of neurodevelopment, one thing is clear: the earlier the intervention the better. Infancy is a critical time in brain development, and neuroscientists are increasingly identifying factors that can negatively impact cognition and ones that can improve cognition early in life.

15 Mar 2021

New research examines how alcohol exposure impacts aspects of neuroplasticity

New research and analysis examine how alcohol exposure impacts many aspects of neuroplasticity in a special issue of Brain Plasticity

11 Feb 2021

Miscarriage risk increases with each additional week of alcohol exposure in early pregnancy

Each week a woman consumes alcohol during the first five to 10 weeks of pregnancy is associated with an incremental 8% increase in risk of miscarriage, according to a study by Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers.

10 Aug 2020

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

MRI reveals signs of fetal alcohol syndrome in the womb

New images reveal the earliest impairments to nonhuman primate fetal brain development due to alcohol ingested by the mother, in a study led by scientists at Oregon Health & Science University involving rhesus macaques.

13 May 2020

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Prepping for a possible pandemic

President Donald Trump has named Vice President Mike Pence to lead the nation's effort to combat COVID-19, the contagious disease from a coronavirus that originated in China and is spreading worldwide.

27 Feb 2020

Study highlights impact of prenatal exposure to alcohol and informs prevention efforts

Drinking in pregnancy can harm a developing baby. The term fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) describes the range of effects that can be caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol.

5 Nov 2019

One-time exposure to cannabinoids during early pregnancy can impair fetal development

A new study published in Scientific Reports, a Nature Research journal, shows how a one-time exposure during early pregnancy to cannabinoids (CBs) – both synthetic and natural – can cause growth issues in a developing embryo.

5 Nov 2019

Acetate derived from alcohol metabolism directly influences epigenetic regulation in the brain

Triggers in everyday life such as running into a former drinking buddy, walking by a once-familiar bar, and attending social gatherings can all cause recovering alcoholics to "fall off the wagon."

24 Oct 2019

Ophthalmologists honored at AAO 2019 for exceptional service in medical and surgical eye care

The American Academy of Ophthalmology is honoring ophthalmologists who have improved eye care for millions worldwide through their commitment to their patients and their profession. The honorees will be recognized during AAO 2019, the 123rd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

15 Oct 2019

Alcohol exposure during pregnancy linked with dose-dependent increase in miscarriage risk

Women who consume alcohol during pregnancy -; even in small amounts -; have a 19% greater risk of miscarriage than women who don't use alcohol, according to a new study by Vanderbilt researchers.

9 Aug 2019

Essential nutrient may hold promise in the war against Alzheimer's disease

In a new study, researchers at the Biodesign Institute explore a safe and simple treatment for one of the most devastating and perplexing afflictions: Alzheimer's disease.

8 Jan 2019

High-risk drinking is common in South Africa, study finds

Adults in South Africa consume more alcohol than adults in most other countries; previous research has shown this comes with high rates of fetal alcohol syndrome and is a driver of the country's leading causes of death: sexually transmitted infections and interpersonal violence.

8 Jan 2019

Targeting specific signaling pathway could provide new avenue for treating fetal alcohol syndrome

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are an array of conditions that can occur in a person whose mother consumed alcohol during pregnancy. Fetal alcohol syndrome, the most severe of these conditions, often results in physical abnormalities, behavioral development issues and intellectual disabilities.

24 Oct 2018

Study finds increased rate of repeat pregnancies in women with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Women with intellectual and developmental disabilities have nearly double the rate of having another baby within a year of delivering compared to women without such disabilities, according to a new study published in CMAJ.

13 Aug 2018

Lithium chloride prevents neurological damage tied to fetal alcohol syndrome, mice study shows

A single dose of lithium chloride, a drug used to treat bipolar disease and aggression, blocks the sleep disturbances, memory loss, and learning problems tied to fetal alcohol syndrome, new experiments in mice show.

5 Dec 2017

Wayne State receives $2 million NIH grant for new study on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, which result from maternal alcohol use during pregnancy, is the most common preventable cause of neurodevelopmental disabilities and affects an estimated 2 percent to 5 percent of school-aged children in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

5 Oct 2017

Evidence for possible impacts of light alcohol consumption during pregnancy is “surprisingly limited,” study reveals

A recent analysis, based on the data published in the online journal BMJ Open, conducted by a group of researchers shows that the indication for the possible harmful effects of light or occasional alcohol consumption during pregnancy is “surprisingly limited.”

12 Sep 2017

Antipsychotics commonly prescribed to adults with IDD, study finds

Antipsychotic medication is frequently being prescribed to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), often without a psychiatric diagnosis, a new study conducted by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences has found.

23 Aug 2017

Study identifies potential treatment for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

Two commonly used drugs erased the learning and memory deficits caused by fetal alcohol exposure when the drugs were given after birth, thus potentially identifying a treatment for the disorder, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study.

18 Jul 2017

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Overview

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders FASD Treatments

Latest Fetal Alcohol Syndrome News and Research

Study shows evidence-based interventions can improve infant brain health

New research examines how alcohol exposure impacts aspects of neuroplasticity

Miscarriage risk increases with each additional week of alcohol exposure in early pregnancy

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

MRI reveals signs of fetal alcohol syndrome in the womb

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Prepping for a possible pandemic

Study highlights impact of prenatal exposure to alcohol and informs prevention efforts

One-time exposure to cannabinoids during early pregnancy can impair fetal development

Acetate derived from alcohol metabolism directly influences epigenetic regulation in the brain

Ophthalmologists honored at AAO 2019 for exceptional service in medical and surgical eye care

Alcohol exposure during pregnancy linked with dose-dependent increase in miscarriage risk

Essential nutrient may hold promise in the war against Alzheimer's disease

High-risk drinking is common in South Africa, study finds

Targeting specific signaling pathway could provide new avenue for treating fetal alcohol syndrome

Study finds increased rate of repeat pregnancies in women with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Lithium chloride prevents neurological damage tied to fetal alcohol syndrome, mice study shows

Wayne State receives $2 million NIH grant for new study on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

Evidence for possible impacts of light alcohol consumption during pregnancy is “surprisingly limited,” study reveals

Antipsychotics commonly prescribed to adults with IDD, study finds

Study identifies potential treatment for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

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Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Overview

Latest Fetal Alcohol Syndrome News and Research

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