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Example research essay topic: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Prenatal Alcohol Exposure - 2,560 words

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... ate alcohol similar to human, transport alcohol and metabolites across placenta similar to human, have embryos and fetuses with developmental and metabolic patterns similar to that of human, be easily bred with large litters and a short gestation length, be inexpensive to maintain under laboratory conditions, and importantly not bite, scratch, kick, howl or squeal. No one animal meets all these requirements and the vast amount of work has been done in rodents (e. g.

rats and mice). However, models have been developed in primates, sheep, pigs, and dogs. There is a continued need for animal research to answer questions that simply cannot be answered in humans: including the identification of risk factors, the elucidations of mechanisms by which alcohol damages the brain, and brain behavior relationships. One can also mention the important reasons for conducting animal research and why it is done.

Besides the ones listed on the slide the following factors could also be mentioned. We can assess mechanisms to help us understanding how alcohol does damage which might lead to ways to prevent or remediate this damage. We can also study genetic factors with the large number of selected lines or strains that are available. We can examine physiological outcomes not readily available for study in humans (e. g. anatomical or neuro chemical changes).

Finally, since the availability of FAS subjects for research is limited, these animal studies can act as a guide for studies on humans. Background One model developed by Kathy Sulik uses mice. By exposing pregnant mice to high doses of alcohol during brief periods of gestation, she has been able to produce a mouse with the facial features of FAS. On the left is the control animal and the right the alcohol exposed animal. Note the small eye openings (palpebral fissures) and the long flat area under the nose (philtres). Utilizing this model, Sulik and colleagues have been able to demonstrate that neural crest cells are especially sensitive to the effects of embryonic alcohol exposure and that the death of these cells may be responsible for the cranial facial defects in FAS.

References Koch, L. E. , and Sulik, K. K. Experimental fetal alcohol syndrome: Proposed pathogenic basis for a variety of associate craniofacial and brain anomalies. Am. J.

Med. Genet. 44, 168 - 176, 1992. Sulik, K. K. , & Johnston, M.

C. (1982). Embryonic origin of holoprosencephaly: Interrelationship of the developing brain and face, Scanning Electron Microscopy (Vol. 1, pp. 309 - 322). Pre and / or early alcohol exposure can cause gross reduction in brain size. Alcohol can alter a number of brain regions, including the cortex, hippocampus, and corpus callosum. The cerebellum is one area that is particularly vulnerable to prenatal alcohol. On the left we see a sagittal view through the vermis of the cerebellum for a control rat and a rat exposed to alcohol during the third trimester equivalent brain growth spurt.

Alcohol treatment during the brain growth spurt significantly reduces granule cell number and Purkinje cell number in the cerebellum. In the panel on the right, on the top you can see the monolayer of Purkinje cells in a control subject. On the bottom is an animal exposed to early alcohol treatment, which significantly reduced the number of Purkinje cells. It is interesting that the cerebellar vermis, particularly lobules 1 - 5 have been shown to be reduced in area in children exposed to large amounts of alcohol prenatally. References West, J. R. , Chen, W-J.

A. , & Pantazis, N. J. (1994) Fetal alcohol syndrome: The vulnerability of the developing brain and possible mechanisms of damage. Metabolic Brain Disease, 9, 291 - 322. Sowell ER; Jernigan TL; Mattson SN; Riley EP; Sobel DF; Jones KL. Abnormal development of the cerebellar vermis in children prenatally exposed to alcohol: size reduction in lobules I-V.

Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research, 1996, 20 (1): 31 - 4. Pierce. D. R. , and West, J. R. (1987) differential deficits in regional brain growth inducted by postnatal alcohol. Nuerotox.

And That. 9, 129 - 141. Thomas, J. D. , Goodlett, C. r. (1998) Alcohol-induced Purkinje cell loss depends on developmental timing of alcohol exposure and correlates with motor performance.

Dev. Brain Res. 165, 159 - 166. Background One use of animal models is to examine mechanisms by which alcohol might damage the embryo and fetus. No one is postulating that all of the effects seen following prenatal alcohol exposure are the result of a single mechanism. Rather, alcohol can influence development via a number of both direct and indirect mechanisms.

Alcohol can alter the proliferation, migration, differentiation and cell survival of neuronal cells. Alcohol can also disrupt the development of glial cells, leading to alterations in cell signaling and myelin ation. Alcohol may act on the cell membrane. For example, alcohol can disturb membrane fluidity, which can affect cell adhesion, migration and cell communication. Prenatal alcohol can also have effects on glutamate receptors and GABA receptors. Prenatal alcohol can also act on intracellular messengers.

For example, alcohol can decrease or increase intracellular calcium; an optimal level of intracellular calcium is necessary for normal outgrowth of neuronal fibers. Yet, despite this multitude of possible mechanisms, not all neuronal cell populations are equally affected by prenatal alcohol. One of the challenges for alcohol researchers is to determine why some cells are resistant whereas others are relatively vulnerable to prenatal alcohol. References West, J. R. , Chen, W-J. A. , & Pantazis, N.

J. (1994) Fetal alcohol syndrome: The vulnerability of the developing brain and possible mechanisms of damage. Metabolic Brain Disease, 9, 291 - 322. Background FAS is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of outcomes. In fact, only a minority (10 - 40 %) of the children of chronic alcoholic women are diagnosed with FAS. What makes some individuals more susceptible than others? . What are the risk factors associated with prenatal alcohol exposure?

There are a number of factors that may contribute to increased risk to the adverse effects of prenatal alcohol. First, the higher the dose of alcohol, the greater the likelihood that the child will exhibit fetal alcohol effects. The pattern of exposure is also important. Both human and animal studies have found that binge drinking (drinking a large amount of alcohol in a short period of time), which produces high blood alcohol levels, is more damaging to the fetus than chronic alcohol exposure that produces lower blood alcohol levels. Thus, peak blood alcohol level may be an important factor.

In addition, the developmental timing of alcohol exposure may influence the outcome. For example, the facial features associated with prenatal alcohol treatment appear to be related to alcohol exposure during the first trimester. Obviously, as different organs undergo development at different times, when the embryo or fetus is exposed is going to be important in determining the outcome. The brain undergoes a very prolonged developmental course and therefore, may be susceptible to fetal alcohol effects throughout gestation. In addition, genetic factors, nutritional factors, parity, and synergistic reaction with other drugs may influence the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure. It is important to realize that some fetal alcohol effects might occur even before a women realizes she is pregnant.

Background Very little work has been done in these two areas. In terms of the treatment of FAS children, basically the individuals symptoms appear to be treated without regard to the etiology. The data on stimulants for this group of children is mixed. The animal data indicates that the stimulants should not be very effective in children. However, there are data showing that some of the FAS children with ADHD do indeed respond favorably to stimulant medication. There is some interesting work using animal models showing the effectiveness of early motor training and that will be discussed shortly.

There are also data showing that an intensive, case management approach works very well in preventing women from having additional children with drug and / or alcohol exposure. Background One important area of treatment is using motor training to compensate for some of the deficits resulting from prenatal alcohol. Motor deficits, balance problems, and gait anomalies are common in children with FAS. Complex motor training can mitigate the effects of developmental alcohol exposure on motor coordination and on cerebellar structure. Shown here is the parallel bar motor task, which measures the rat's balance and fine motor coordination. The graphs illustrate the number of slips or falls on the parallel bars, an indicator of motor dysfunction.

Subjects in the inactive condition (IC) did not receive motor training, subjects in the motor control (MC) group (not shown on graph) were exercised on a runway, and subjects in the rehabilitative condition (RC) were trained on a complex motor skill task for 20 days. As you can see, ethanol-exposed subjects (AE) that did not receive motor training were impaired on this task, slipping with greater frequency compared to controls (GC and SC). In contrast, complex motor training significantly improved motor performance in all groups on this task, including the performance of ethanol-treated subjects. In fact, there was no difference in performance among the ethanol-exposed and control groups following this rehabilitative conditioning. Consistent with this behavioral change, complex motor training increases the number of synapses per cerebellar Purkinje cell in both ethanol-treated and control subjects, a finding that indicates that the brain is still plastic and amenable to behavioral interventions even after the alcohol insult is complete.

Also, these data provide evidence that behavioral interventions may successfully reduce the severity of fetal alcohol effects. References Klintsova AY. Cowell RM. Swain RA. Napper RM. Goodlett CR.

Greenough WT. Therapeutic effects of complex motor training on motor performance deficits induced by neonatal binge-like alcohol exposure in rats. I. Behavioral results. Brain Research. 800 (1): 48 - 61, 1998 Background This is a program ongoing in Seattle and which has been replicated in other communities.

It began in 1991 to test the efficacy of an intensive, long term paraprofessional advocacy with high risk mothers who abused alcohol or drugs during pregnancy. Women became involved when they give birth to a child who was exposed to alcohol or drugs prenatally. They received intensive interaction with a case worker who acts as an advocate, getting them in touch with appropriate services. The results are impressive, with fewer subsequent children born exposed to alcohol or drugs, reduced foster care placement and a reduction in the dependence of welfare. Other positive outcomes are an increase in family planning and child well-being. References Grant, T.

M. , Ernst, C. C. , and Streissguth, A. P. Intervention with high-risk alcohol and drug-abusing mothers: I. Administrative strategies of the Seattle model of paraprofessional advocacy. Journal of Community Psychology, 27, 1, 1 - 18, 1999 Ernst, C.

C. Grant, T. M. , Streissguth, A. P. and Sampson, P.

D. Intervention with high-risk alcohol and drug-abusing mothers: II. Three-year finds from the Seattle model of paraprofessional advocacy. Journal of Community Psychology, 27, 1, 19 - 38, 1999 Summary n Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a devastating developmental disorder that affects children born to women who abuse alcohol during pregnancy. n Although FAS is entirely preventable, and in spite of our increasing knowledge about the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure, children continue to be born exposed to high amounts of alcohol. nIt's consequences affect the individual, the family, and society.

nIts costs are tremendous, both personally and financially. n Effective treatment and prevention strategies must be developed and made available. n n web show / index . html Fetal Alcohol Syndrome What is the leading known cause of mental and physical birth defects, sure swing both spina bifida and Down syndrome? Which drug produces more severe abnormalities in a developing fetus than heroin, cocaine, or marijuana?

The answer to both questions is the same: alcohol. Alcohol (wine, beer, or liquor) is the most common preventable cause of birth defects in the United States. When a woman drinks alcohol during pregnancy, she risks giving birth to a child who will pay the price - in mental and physical deficiencies - for the rest of his life. Yet many pregnant women do drink alcohol, and it is estimated that one in every 750 infants is born with full-blown fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) each year in the United States. Another 50, 000 children are born with fetal alcohol effects (FAE) each year. Read this article to learn more about FAS and FAE, including characteristics and risk factors.

Signs and Symptoms of FAS FAS is identified as a pattern of physical, developmental, and functional abnormalities in a child resulting from a woman's drinking alcohol during pregnancy. Characteristics of children with FAS include: low birth weight small head circumference failure to thrive developmental delay organ dysfunction facial abnormalities, including smaller eye openings, flattened cheekbones, and indistinct philtres (an underdeveloped groove between the nose and the upper lip) epilepsy poor coordination / fine motor skills poor socialization skills, such as difficulty building and maintaining friendships and relating to groups lack of imagination or curiosity learning difficulties, including poor memory, inability to understand concepts such as time and money, poor language comprehension, poor problem-solving skills behavioral problems, including hyperactivity, inability to concentrate, social withdrawal, stubbornness, impulsiveness, and anxiety Children with FAE display the same symptoms, but to a lesser degree, and are less likely to have mental retardation. The Hidden Handicap It was not until 1973 that alcohol was officially recognized as a teratogen, a substance that can cause damage to a fetus. Today, FAS and FAE are still largely misunderstood by the general public. Children with FAE are often at a disadvantage because they are frequently undiagnosed, says Georgiana Wilton, coordinator of the National Family Empowerment Network: Supporting Families Affected by FAS and FAE.

This also applies to children with alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND), a recently recognized category of prenatal damage that refers to those children who exhibit only the behavioral and emotional problems of FAS/FAE, without any signs of developmental delay or physical growth deficiencies. 'These kids fall through the cracks and suffer for it, ' Wilton says. 'Their behavior can look like belligerence or obstinacy, when in fact the kids are acting out of their own limited understanding of what is expected of them. ' Wilton explains that although children with FAE or ARND may score well on intelligence tests, their behavioral deficits often interfere with their ability to succeed. Extensive education and training of health care professionals, parents, and teachers are essential to caring for these children. Diagnosis and Long-Term Effects 'Early diagnosis is essential, ' affirms Ronnie Jacobs of the Bergen County, New Jersey Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse. 'We must remember that it's not that these kids are a problem, but that they have a problem. We need to change our mindset, because the children are not going to change. FAS, FAE, and ARND are lifelong conditions. There is no cure. ' Psychologist Ann Streissguth, a pioneer in the field of FAS, has conducted numerous studies mapping the long-term effects of FAS/FAE.

Her research shows that the problems associated with FAS actually intensify as children move into adulthood. A majority of the adults in her studies had mental health problems, experienced trouble with the law, and were unable to live independently. Professionals who work on a daily basis with the families of FAS/FAE victims see important changes beginning to...


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Research essay sample on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Prenatal Alcohol Exposure

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