Study: Delay conditioning deficits can help identify fetal alcohol syndrome among children

By Staff Writer

A recent study reveals that eye-blink conditioning can help doctors determine if a child has fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).

The condition can occur when mothers drink alcohol during pregnancy, which may lead to severe emotional, behavioral or physical setbacks for the offspring. According to the National Institutes of Health, FAS lasts for a lifetime and there is no cure. Problems that are commonly associated with the condition are mental retardation, abnormal facial features, stunted growth, central nervous system problems as well as vision or hearing impairments.

However, medical officials struggle to study and treat this disorder because it is difficult to diagnose in some children. A majority of kids with FAS do not have recognizable diagnostic criteria, but researchers at the Wayne State University School of Medicine believe they have found a method to help identify the condition.

According to the new study - to be released in the February 2011 issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research - common symptoms linked to FAS can be identified by measuring a child's eye-blink conditioning. Experts tested 63 children, 34 of whom were heavily exposed to alcohol while in their mother's womb.

Researchers tested the children's delay conditioning by pairing an audible tone with a puff of air into their eyes, causing them to blink. The goal of the eye test was to determine whether heavy alcohol exposure affected the child's ability to associate the tone with the puff. Kids with FAS typically have deficiencies in learning and memory, so their delay conditioning would be more disrupted than those without the disorder.

Only 33 percent of those who were heavily exposed to alcohol met the criteria for this form of learning, compared with 79 percent from the control group. A psychiatry and behavioral science expert said that the study revealed that kids exposed to alcohol showed a slower ability to process the stimuli and then react to it.

She added that research that links learning and memory deficits to alcohol exposure can help set the groundwork for effective interventions to treat FAS.

Many women drink during the early stages of pregnancy because they are unaware that they are carrying, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Only 40 percent of women realize that they are pregnant four weeks into gestation, which is a critical period for organ development in the fetus.

The CDC surveyed a sample of American pregnant women and found that 12 percent, or about one in eight, reported drinking alcohol within 30 days of being questioned. Approximately 2 percent of women said they had binge drank within a month.

About 18 percent of the pregnant women who reported alcohol use were between 33 and 44 years old. A total of 14 percent were college graduates, 14 percent were employed and 13 percent were unmarried.

FAS can be prevented if a pregnant mother does not drink alcohol, but considering that many women do not know they are pregnant, the problem persists despite all of the studies that confirm the negative repercussions. Medical officials and community leaders are making efforts to educate teenage girls about the importantance of safe sex and the potential dangers associated with pregnancy and alcohol.

A task force in an Illinois county is making plans to develop a center that would raise awareness about FAS. According to the Chicago Tribune, this task force hopes to establish education and training programs to help prevent future cases of alcohol-related defects. The organization recently approved a brochure for schools that reminds educators that Illinois law requires all sex education classes must include information on FAS.