Susceptibility-weighted magnetic resonance imaging of white matter tracts and subcortical grey matter in children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) describes a set of lifelong physical, cognitive and behavioural deficits as a result of alcohol consumption by the mother during pregnancy. Currently, FASD is the leading preventable cause of neurodevelopmental and cognitive disorders in children, affecting 9 of every 1000 babies born or about 1% of Canadians at any given time. In small and often rural communities, the proportion of children born with FASD can go as high as 190 for every 1000 live births. However, scanning the brains of children with conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) does not always result in an appreciably diagnostic image, even though several neurological deficits are observed in children with FASD, suggesting a need for more advanced methods that are capable of examining the brains of children with FASD. Brain iron, which is essential in the formation of white matter (i.e. brain 'wirings') that bridge areas of the human brain, has been gaining traction as a potential measurable marker that is reduced in FASD. Our research aims to use novel imaging technologies to measure changes in iron levels in these brain wirings, as well as deep grey matter structures, which are known to be involved in cognition, memory, movement and behavior-key aspects of development that are often impaired in children with FASD. Clinically, our study will also look at how brain iron levels relate to specific clinical measures (IQ, anemia status, demographics, etc.) to see if brain iron deficiency correlates with a specific developmental deficit. Currently there are no treatments available to halt or even slow down the progression of their condition, and this may partly be due to our incomplete understanding of what happens within the brains of children with FASD. Measuring iron levels in the brain using MRI would allow us to non-invasively further our understanding of the events that occur as a result of prenatal alcohol exposure, and ultimately lead to targeted therapies for children with FASD in the future.