Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Other Effects of Prenatal Alcohol: Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Implications

Abstract

The developmental cognitive neuroscience approach offers an important framework for understanding the complexities of fetal alcohol syndrome and other prenatal alcohol effects. While the genesis of this main dysfunction lies in alcohol exposure during the prenatal period, the neurobehavioral sequelae last throughout postnatal life, during which adverse social experiences can interact with prenatal brain damage to produce secondary disabilities. Animal, clinical, and epidemiologic studies have confirmed many types of neurodevelopmental deficits caused by prenatal alcohol exposure. The challenge for the future is to integrate these findings into a meaningful body of knowledge in order to identify and intervene with affected children, reduce secondary disabilities, and promote healthy and productive lives. The magnitude of the problem of fetal alcohol–affected youth makes this a challenge worth undertaking.