CoNDA Center Seminar:

Using neuroimaging to understand the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on child development

Dr. Julia Stephen, PhD - Professor of Translational Neuroscience and MEG Core Director at The Mind Research Network

Friday, December 12, 2025 | 12:00-1:00PM
In-Person: DRC1-1004
Zoom | Meeting ID: 918 3159 0232 | Passcode: CONDA

Abstract: Children with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) may experience a broad range of effects from sensory sensitivities and motor challenges to executive function deficits. Recent studies have estimated that 1-5% of children in the US have sufficient behavioral and cognitive effects due to PAE that they meet criteria for a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). But, currently less than 1% of these children are diagnosed, missing out on the opportunity to support the children and families to address these effects. Two primary challenges leading to this gap in care are identifying/diagnosing children with FASD and determining how to best treat them. Across a series of studies, we have examined the neurophysiological correlates of these behavioral effects of PAE with the goal of better understanding the underlying mechanisms in concert with preclinical studies. Magnetoencephalography, as a direct measure of neural activity with millisecond temporal resolution, allows us to examine the brain dynamics that underlie cognition and behavior. Based on our findings, MEG is able to detect differences in brain function and neural dynamics in children with PAE/FASD. Furthermore, multimodal analysis demonstrates that many of these functional effects are related to structural differences within the brain. Our MEG findings demonstrate the effects of PAE are broad, ranging from sensory and motor deficits to higher order cognitive deficits, consistent with clinical findings. I will discuss how combining information from preclinical models, behavioral studies, and neuroimaging may inform the development of interventions to help improve outcomes for children with FASD.