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. 2000 May;105(5):1096-9.
doi: 10.1542/peds.105.5.1096.

Structural and functional brain integrity of fetal alcohol syndrome in nonretarded cases

C M Clark  1 , D Li, J Conry, R Conry, C Loock
Affiliations

Structural and functional brain integrity of fetal alcohol syndrome in nonretarded cases

C M Clark et al. Pediatrics. 2000 May.

Abstract

Purpose: To determine the structural and functional integrity of the brain in a sample of nonretarded individuals diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome.

Subjects: The sample consisted of nineteen individuals who met the diagnostic criteria for fetal alcohol syndrome.

Methods: Intellectual function was assessed using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised. Structural integrity of the brain was assessed using magnetic resonance imaging whereas functional integrity was assessed using positron emission tomography and (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose.

Results: The mean Full Scale IQ was 80. 2 (range: 66-92). Only 1 magnetic resonance imaging was found to be abnormal. This abnormality was found for the subject with the lowest IQ. Decreases in relative regional cerebral metabolic rates were found in 5 brain regions comprising the thalamus and basal ganglia.

Conclusion: These results when coupled with previous findings suggest a continuum of neuropathology in fetal alcohol syndrome. For cases with relatively mild intellectual deficits, the cause of the deficit is at a micro-level rather than a macro-level.

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