Prenatal alcohol exposure alters brain activity in the frontal-striatal areas

[James Brody]

There are ties between Steve Suomi's maternally-deprived rhesus males and alcoholics and even omega-3s! Existing studies report an overlap between the duration of nursing and the probability of adult alcoholism: the less of mom, the more you will drink. The effect, however, tends to be small.

Suomi's peer-raised monks, however, fight often with larger monkeys, make jumps they cannot complete. They also "drink like sponges."
A new study, however, finds disinhibition effects from maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy, effects that occur without the stigmata of fetal alcohol syndrome. Even small amounts of ethanol are associated with hyperactive offspring.

From Science Daily, a study due to appear in August:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0724161711.htm.

"Source: Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research Date: July 25, 2007

"Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Alters Brain Activity In The Frontal-striatal Areas

"Science Daily — Heavy prenatal alcohol exposure does not always lead to fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS); sometimes it can lead to cognitive and behavioral deficits in the absence of craniofacial features needed to make an FAS diagnosis. A new study has found that children and adolescents prenatally exposed to alcohol have altered responses in frontal-striatal areas, brain regions that may inhibit behavior.

"Inattention and behavioral dis-inhibition are considered hallmark features of prenatal alcohol exposure...Anecdotal observations from parents, other caregivers, and teachers of individuals with prenatal alcohol exposure tell of poor behavioral regulation"

As for the stigmata of FAS: I once knew a young lady with the stigmata but with an IQ of about 140! She was irritable, obsessive, and hypomanic. Her mother, by legend, put away a quart of gin every day of pregnancy. Her mother, also, took DES...

JimB