Methamphetamine Damages Fetal Brains

A small study has found that babies exposed to methamphetamine and alcohol before birth have smaller caudate nucleus regions in the brain than non-exposed children or children exposed to alcohol only in the womb, HealthDay News reported March 17.

Researchers compared brain scans of 13 children exposed to alcohol before birth, 21 children exposed to meth and alcohol, and 27 children who were not exposed to either drug.

The caudite nucleus assists in learning, memory, motor control and motivation.

“We know that alcohol exposure is toxic to the developing fetus and can result in lifelong brain, cognitive and behavioral problems,” said researcher Elizabeth Sowell of the University of California at Los Angeles. “In this study, we show that the effects of prenatal meth exposure, or the combination of meth and alcohol exposure, may actually be worse. Our findings stress the importance of drug abuse treatment for pregnant women.”

The findings were published March 17, 2010 in the Journal of Neuroscience.

FAS Declines Among Alaska Natives

A federally funded treatment and prevention program is being credited with a 32-percent decline in fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) cases among Native Americans in Alaska,  Anchorage Daily News reported Feb. 19.

The $29-million program, which also included a multimedia education campaign, “did turn the corner,” said Diane Casto of the state Division of Behavioral Health. “What we know about prevention … you need to get the message out strongly, consistently, over and over again. It gave a good kick-start.”

The rate of children born with FAS among native populations declined from about 20 per 10,000 births in 1996 to 13.5 in 2002, according to state officials. Also, fewer children were born with alcohol spectrum disorders.

By contrast, the FAS rate among non-Native residents in Alaska did not drop.

You can read more studies about alcohol consumption at Join Together.

Do You Know How Many People in the USA Drink Alcohol?

If you don’t know, the results from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health are now available.  This survey provides invaluable information on when Americans first begin to drink, use drugs and smoke cigarettes and how much of these substances is consumed. 
National Findings

Put Down That Drink If You Are Pregnant!

“Put Down That Drink If You Are Pregnant” is the title of a podcast developed by CDC. This podcast discusses the danger of drinking alcohol during pregnancy. You can  hear the podcast by clicking on the link below:

birthdefects_alcohol

Can Moderate Alcohol Use During Pregnancy Be Linked to Behavior Problems in Children?

Can moderate alcohol use during pregnancy be linked to behavioral problems in children was the question addressed in a recent study. The findings were published in the Dec. 6, 2008 issue of the journal Pediatrics.

Below is a summary of the report.

Women who consume even one alcoholic drink weekly while pregnant are more likely to have children with behavioral problems than women who abstain, Reuters Health reported Dec. 3.Researchers reviewed data from the Minnesota Twins Family Study, focusing on 1,252 17-year-old participants and their parents, and found that 31 percent of children whose mothers reported drinking at least one drink per week while pregnant were diagnosed with conduct disorders as teenagers, compared to 21 percent among teens whose mothers did not drink during pregnancy.

The study authors also found that 44 percent of mothers diagnosed with alcoholism who drank during pregnancy had children with conduct disorders, more than twice the rate among alcoholic mothers who abstained while pregnant.

Mothers who drank during pregnancy (13 percent) were also more likely to smoke, but when the researchers controlled for smoking and other behaviors, they found that prenatal alcohol exposure was independently linked to higher prevalence of behavioral problems such as shoplifting, aggression towards animals and people, and arson.

“If women stop drinking during pregnancy, they can save themselves a lot of heartache later,” said study author Elizabeth Disney of Chase Braxton Health Services in Baltimore, Md. “Being the parent of a child with conduct disorder is really frustrating.”