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Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: An Overview

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Abstract

When fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) was initially described, diagnosis was based upon physical parameters including facial anomalies and growth retardation, with evidence of developmental delay or mental deficiency. Forty years of research has shown that FAS lies towards the extreme end of what are now termed fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). The most profound effects of prenatal alcohol exposure are on the developing brain and the cognitive and behavioral effects that ensue. Alcohol exposure affects brain development via numerous pathways at all stages from neurogenesis to myelination. For example, the same processes that give rise to the facial characteristics of FAS also cause abnormal brain development. Behaviors as diverse as executive functioning to motor control are affected. This special issue of Neuropsychology Review addresses these changes in brain and behavior highlighting the relationship between the two. A diagnostic goal is to recognize FAS as a disorder of brain rather than one of physical characteristics.

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Acknowledgements

The authors greatly acknowledge the help of Jason Dudley and Kristen Breit in preparing the figure for this manuscript. Preparation of this paper was supported by National Institute of Health NIAAA Grants R01 AA010417, U24 AA014811, and T32 AA013525 to epr. and was conducted in conjunction with the Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (CIFASD). More information about the CIFASD can be found at www.cifasd.org

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The authors have no financial relationships to disclose.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Center for Behavioral Teratology, San Diego State University, 6330 Alvarado Court, Suite 100, San Diego, CA, 92120, USA

    Edward P. Riley & M. Alejandra Infante

  2. San Diego State University/University of California San Diego, Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego, CA, USA

    M. Alejandra Infante

  3. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Kenneth R. Warren

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  1. Edward P. Riley
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  2. M. Alejandra Infante
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  3. Kenneth R. Warren
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Correspondence to Edward P. Riley.

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Riley, E.P., Infante, M.A. & Warren, K.R. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: An Overview. Neuropsychol Rev 21, 73–80 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11065-011-9166-x

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