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Published Online: 25 September 2020

Association of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure With Psychological, Behavioral, and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Children From the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study

Briana Lees, B.Psych. (Hons) [email protected], Louise Mewton, Ph.D., Joanna Jacobus, Ph.D., Emilio A. Valadez, Ph.D., Lexine A. Stapinski, Ph.D., Maree Teesson, Ph.D., Susan F. Tapert, Ph.D., and Lindsay M. Squeglia, Ph.D.Authors Info & Affiliations
Publication: American Journal of Psychiatry
Volume 177, Number 11
https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.20010086
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Abstract

Objective:

Data on the neurodevelopmental and associated behavioral effects of light to moderate in utero alcohol exposure are limited. This retrospective investigation tested for associations between reported maternal prenatal alcohol use and psychological, behavioral, and neurodevelopmental outcomes in substance-naive youths.

Methods:

Participants were 9,719 youths (ages 9.0 to 10.9 years) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. Based on parental reports, 2,518 (25.9%) had been exposed to alcohol in utero. Generalized additive mixed models and multilevel cross-sectional and longitudinal mediation models were used to test whether prenatal alcohol exposure was associated with psychological, behavioral, and cognitive outcomes, and whether differences in brain structure and resting-state functional connectivity partially explained these associations at baseline and 1-year follow-up, after controlling for possible confounding factors.

Results:

Prenatal alcohol exposure of any severity was associated with greater psychopathology, attention deficits, and impulsiveness, with some effects showing a dose-dependent response. Children with prenatal alcohol exposure, compared with those without, displayed greater cerebral and regional volume and greater regional surface area. Resting-state functional connectivity was largely unaltered in children with in utero exposure. Some of the psychological and behavioral outcomes at baseline and at the 1-year follow-up were partially explained by differences in brain structure among youths who had been exposed to alcohol in utero.

Conclusions:

Any alcohol use during pregnancy is associated with subtle yet significant psychological and behavioral effects in children. Women should continue to be advised to abstain from alcohol consumption from conception throughout pregnancy.

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Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to American Journal of Psychiatry
Go to American Journal of Psychiatry
American Journal of Psychiatry
Volume 177 • Number 11 • November 01, 2020
Pages: 1060 - 1072
PubMed: 32972200

History

Received: 27 January 2020
Revision received: 3 May 2020
Accepted: 11 May 2020
Published online: 25 September 2020
Published in print: November 01, 2020

Keywords

  1. Prenatal Alcohol Exposure
  2. Brain Development
  3. Psychopathology
  4. Child/Adolescent Psychiatry

Authors

Details

Briana Lees, B.Psych. (Hons) [email protected]
The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia (Lees, Stapinski, Teesson); Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, University of New South Wales, Randwick, Australia (Mewton); Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla (Jacobus, Tapert); Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park (Valadez); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston (Squeglia).
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Louise Mewton, Ph.D.
The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia (Lees, Stapinski, Teesson); Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, University of New South Wales, Randwick, Australia (Mewton); Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla (Jacobus, Tapert); Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park (Valadez); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston (Squeglia).
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Joanna Jacobus, Ph.D.
The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia (Lees, Stapinski, Teesson); Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, University of New South Wales, Randwick, Australia (Mewton); Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla (Jacobus, Tapert); Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park (Valadez); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston (Squeglia).
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Emilio A. Valadez, Ph.D.
The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia (Lees, Stapinski, Teesson); Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, University of New South Wales, Randwick, Australia (Mewton); Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla (Jacobus, Tapert); Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park (Valadez); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston (Squeglia).
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Lexine A. Stapinski, Ph.D.
The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia (Lees, Stapinski, Teesson); Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, University of New South Wales, Randwick, Australia (Mewton); Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla (Jacobus, Tapert); Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park (Valadez); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston (Squeglia).
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Maree Teesson, Ph.D.
The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia (Lees, Stapinski, Teesson); Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, University of New South Wales, Randwick, Australia (Mewton); Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla (Jacobus, Tapert); Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park (Valadez); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston (Squeglia).
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Susan F. Tapert, Ph.D.
The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia (Lees, Stapinski, Teesson); Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, University of New South Wales, Randwick, Australia (Mewton); Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla (Jacobus, Tapert); Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park (Valadez); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston (Squeglia).
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Lindsay M. Squeglia, Ph.D.
The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia (Lees, Stapinski, Teesson); Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, University of New South Wales, Randwick, Australia (Mewton); Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla (Jacobus, Tapert); Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park (Valadez); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston (Squeglia).
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Notes

Send correspondence to Ms. Lees ([email protected]).

Funding Information

Ms. Lees is supported by grants GNT1169377 and GNT1134909 from the National Health and Medical Research Council. Dr. Jacobus is supported by NIH grants DA-047953 and DA-041089 and by grant 580264 from the California Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program of the University of California. Dr. Stapinski is supported by grant GNT1132853 from the National Health and Medical Research Council. Dr. Teesson is supported by grants GNT1041756 and GNT1078407 from the National Health and Medical Research Council. Dr. Squeglia is supported by NIH grants DA-041093, AA-025399, and AA-027399. The ABCD Study is funded by NIH and other federal partners under grants DA-041048, DA-050989, DA-051016, DA-041022, DA-051018, DA-051037, DA-050987, DA-041174, DA-041106, DA-041117, DA-041028, DA-041134, DA-050988, DA-051039, DA-041156, DA-041025, DA-041120, DA-051038, DA-041148, DA-041093, DA-041089, DA-041123, and DA-041147. A full list of supporters is available at https://abcdstudy.org/federal-partners.html.

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