Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

The early description of foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) was based on physical characteristics like as growth retardation and facial abnormalities, along with signs of mental or developmental delay. Based on four decades of research, FAS is at the very end of the range of conditions now known as foetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). The growing brain and the ensuing cognitive and behavioural impacts are the most significant effects of alcohol intake during pregnancy. Numerous pathways, ranging from neurogenesis to myelination, are affected by alcohol exposure during all stages of brain development. For instance, aberrant brain development is brought on by the same mechanisms that result in the facial traits associated with FAS. A wide range of behaviours are impacted, including executive functioning and motor control. These alterations in the brain and behaviour, as well as the connection between them, are discussed in this special edition of Neuropsychology Review. Determining that FAS is a brain disorder rather than a physical one is one of the diagnostic goals.digestive complaints.