Publications
Recent:
"Choline enhances elicited imitation memory performance in preschool children with prenatal alcohol exposure: a cumulative report of 3 randomized controlled trials"
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"Regional hippocampal thinning and gyrification abnormalities and associated cognition in children with prenatal alcohol exposure"
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"Normative modeling of brain MRI data identifies small subcortical volumes and associations with cognitive function in youth with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD)"
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"Normative magnetic resonance imaging data increase the sensitivity to brain volume abnormalities in the classification of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder"
In this study, individuals with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) between the ages of 8-17 years, showed lower average brain volumes compared to individuals without prenatal alcohol exposure (controls). Additionally, the individuals with PAE who had brain volumes that were less than or equal to the 10th percentile also had lower performance on tests of intellectual and executive functioning compared to controls who had brain volumes greater than the 10th percentile. Hence, brain volumes may be helpful in identifying more individuals who have FASD.
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"Delayed cortical thinning in children and adolescents with prenatal alcohol exposure"
In this study, brain MRI scans found differences in the timeline of brain development when comparing children, aged 8–17, with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) to children without exposure. This aspect of brain development is thought to be important in increasing efficiency as children get older because it is associated with increased performance on cognitive tasks - like attention and memory. In this study, children with PAE showed an atypical pattern in this measure of brain development and cognitive performance. This study suggests that PAE may continue to have an impact on brain health into childhood and adolescence, delaying important steps in brain development compared to typically developing children of the same age. The findings illustrate the importance of repeated assessments of cognitive functioning over childhood / adolescence and highlight the need for continuous interventions such as special education programming and therapies.
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"Atypical developmental trajectories of white matter microstructure in prenatal alcohol exposure: Preliminary evidence from neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging"
Advanced experimental brain scanning techniques revealed small differences in the timing of brain development in children with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) when compared to typically developing children of the same age. These subtle differences were associated with performance on memory and attention tasks for children with PAE. Typically-developing children showed a specific pattern of brain change over time with age that was not seen in those with PAE. This suggests that PAE may cause an alteration in the timing of important aspects of brain growth. Advanced scanning techniques such as this one will continue to push our understanding of how PAE affects brain development over the child’s life-span.
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"Long-term follow-up of a randomized controlled trial of choline for neurodevelopment in fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: corpus callosum white matter microstructure and neurocognitive outcomes"
Our research group has been testing a nutrient, choline, as a neurodevelopmental treatment for preschool age children (2-5 years old) with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) for more than a decade. Many children have been followed for long periods after their participation in the treatment study. In comparing cognitive testing of skills such as attention, working memory, and reaction time seven years after initial supplementation, children who received choline showed better performance than children who did not receive choline. Brain scans also found better organization of white matter (the nerve fibers that handle long-distance communication in the brain) in the children who had received choline years earlier. This difference in treatment groups was even more pronounced than that observed initially in our previous four-year follow-up. These data suggest that choline may have long-lasting benefits for brain development in FASD and, perhaps, early intervention may have permanent beneficial effects on the brain.
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"Prenatal and Postnatal Choline Supplementation in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder"
Prenatal alcohol exposure can cause a broad range of thinking, memory, attention, and learning difficulties in affected individuals. One intervention that has been investigated to aid with these difficulties is supplementation with a nutrient called choline, which is best administered during early stages of brain development (ages 2-5 in our studies). This paper provides information about alcohol’s effects on the brain, the role of choline in typical brain development, and a summary of several studies that have investigated choline supplementation in animals and humans exposed to alcohol both before and after birth. Importantly, the paper includes very practical information and advice for those interested in supplementing choline in children.
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Previous:
"A randomized controlled trial of transcranial direct-current stimulation and cognitive training in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder"
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"Four-year follow-up of a randomized controlled trial of choline for neurodevelopment in fetal alcohol spectrum disorder"
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"Choline supplementation in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial"
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"Choline supplementation in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders has high feasibility and tolerability"
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"Inadequate intake of nutrients essential for neurodevelopment in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD)"
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If you have any questions about our publications or are unable to access them via the links provided, please email us at [email protected].