Fetal brain during a binge drinking episode: a dynamic susceptibility contrast MRI fetal brain perfusion study

• Published in: Neuroreport Vol. 21; no. 10; pp. 716 - 721
• Main Authors: Kochunov, Peter, Castro, Carlos, Davis, Duff M, Dudley, Donald, Wey, Hsiao-Ying, Purdy, David, Fox, Peter T, Simerly, Calvin, Schatten, Gerald
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hagerstown, MD Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc 14-07-2010; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
• Subjects: Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Alcoholic Intoxication - physiopathology; Alcoholism and acute alcohol poisoning; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Brain - drug effects; Brain - embryology; Brain - physiopathology; Central Nervous System Depressants - blood; Central Nervous System Depressants - poisoning; Cerebrovascular Circulation; Contrast Media - pharmacokinetics; Eating behavior disorders; Ethanol - blood; Ethanol - poisoning; Female; Gadolinium DTPA - pharmacokinetics; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous; Myometrium - drug effects; Myometrium - physiopathology; Papio; Papio hamadryas; Perfusion Imaging - methods; Pregnancy; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Time Factors; Toxicology; Uterus - drug effects; Uterus - physiopathology; Fetal alcohol syndrome; brain imaging; Regional blood flow; in utero; Ethanol; Fetal membrane; MRI; Central nervous system; Drinking; Permeability; Eating disorder; Contrast; Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging; brain perfusion; Encephalon; Newborn diseases; Sensitivity; Binge eating; Placenta; Imaging; placental permeability; Fetus; cerebral blood flow; Hemodynamics
• ISSN: 0959-4965; 1473-558X
• DOI: 10.1097/WNR.0b013e32833b5047

We assessed the effects of a single episode of maternal alcohol intoxication on fetal brain blood perfusion in three pregnant dams (baboons) at the 24th week of pregnancy using dynamic susceptibility contrast magnetic resonance imaging. After the oral administration of alcohol, there was a four-fold increase in the peak contrast concentrations in the fetal brain. In addition, we observed a two- to three-fold increase in the contrast uptake and washout rates in the fetal brain. The underlying mechanisms of these changes are unknown, but we hypothesized that these could include the alcohol-mediated changes in placental permeability and fetal cerebral blood flow. Our findings indicate that alcohol intoxication produces profound changes, which may detrimentally influence neurodevelopmental processes in the brain.