scholarly journals Intersection of Epigenetic and Immune Alterations: Implications for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and Mental Health

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre A. Lussier ◽  
Tamara S. Bodnar ◽  
Joanne Weinberg
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Immune Function ◽  
Prenatal Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Epigenetic Mechanisms ◽  
Prenatal Alcohol ◽  
Epigenetic Patterns ◽  
The Impact

Prenatal alcohol exposure can impact virtually all body systems, resulting in a host of structural, neurocognitive, and behavioral abnormalities. Among the adverse impacts associated with prenatal alcohol exposure are alterations in immune function, including an increased incidence of infections and alterations in immune/neuroimmune parameters that last throughout the life-course. Epigenetic patterns are also highly sensitive to prenatal alcohol exposure, with widespread alcohol-related alterations to epigenetic profiles, including changes in DNA methylation, histone modifications, and miRNA expression. Importantly, epigenetic programs are crucial for immune system development, impacting key processes such as immune cell fate, differentiation, and activation. In addition to their role in development, epigenetic mechanisms are emerging as attractive candidates for the biological embedding of environmental factors on immune function and as mediators between early-life exposures and long-term health. Here, following an overview of the impact of prenatal alcohol exposure on immune function and epigenetic patterns, we discuss the potential role for epigenetic mechanisms in reprogramming of immune function and the consequences for health and development. We highlight a range of both clinical and animal studies to provide insights into the array of immune genes impacted by alcohol-related epigenetic reprogramming. Finally, we discuss potential consequences of alcohol-related reprogramming of immune/neuroimmune functions and their effects on the increased susceptibility to mental health disorders. Overall, the collective findings from animal models and clinical studies highlight a compelling relationship between the immune system and epigenetic pathways. These findings have important implications for our understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying the long-term and multisystem effects of prenatal alcohol exposure, laying the groundwork for possible novel interventions and therapeutic strategies to treat individuals prenatally exposed to alcohol.

Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Fetal Programming: Effects on Neuroendocrine and Immune Function

2005 ◽  
Vol 230 (6) ◽  
pp. 376-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xingqi Zhang ◽  
Joanna H. Sliwowska ◽  
Joanne Weinberg
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Immune Function ◽  
Hpa Axis ◽  
Fetal Programming ◽  
Prenatal Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Endocrine Function ◽  
Prenatal Alcohol ◽  
Induced Changes

Alcohol abuse is known to result in clinical abnormalities of endocrine function and neuroendocrine regulation. However, most studies have been conducted on males. Only recently have studies begun to investigate the influence of alcohol on endocrine function in females and, more specifically, endocrine function during pregnancy. Alcohol-induced endocrine imbalances may contribute to the etiology of fetal alcohol syndrome. Alcohol crosses the placenta and can directly affect developing fetal cells and tissues. Alcohol-induced changes in maternal endocrine function can disrupt maternal-fetal hormonal interactions and affect the female’s ability to maintain a successful pregnancy, thus indirectly affecting the fetus. In this review, we focus on the adverse effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on neuroendocrine and immune function, with particular emphasis on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the concept of fetal programming. The HPA axis is highly susceptible to programming during fetal development. Early environmental experiences, including exposure to alcohol, can reprogram the HPA axis such that HPA tone is increased throughout life. We present data that demonstrate that maternal alcohol consumption increases HPA activity in both the maternal female and the offspring. Increased exposure to endogenous glucocorticoids throughout the lifespan can alter behavioral and physiologic responsiveness and increase vulnerability to illnesses or disorders later in life. Alterations in immune function may be one of the long-term consequences of fetal HPA programming. We discuss studies that demonstrate the adverse effects of alcohol on immune competence and the increased vulnerability of ethanol-exposed offspring to the immunosuppressive effects of stress. Fetal programming of HPA activity may underlie some of the long-term behavioral, cognitive, and immune deficits that are observed following prenatal alcohol exposure.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders – an Irish perspective

2010 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. i-v ◽  
Author(s):  
Nneka Orakwue ◽  
Fiona McNicholas ◽  
Kieran O'Malley
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Prenatal Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Service Development ◽  
Prenatal Alcohol ◽  
The Impact

The impact of prenatal alcohol exposure is far reaching and transgenerational but is largely under diagnosed. This has been a major public health concern but remains an area that has lacked attention with regards service development and research in Ireland. There is a need for mental health professionals to have a good working knowledge of the range of deficits associated with prenatal alcohol exposure. Knowledge of these deficits will facilitate identification of affected children for early diagnosis and intervention. This paper reviews available literature on this topic using broad search criteria. The aim of this article is to create greater awareness among professionals working with children in Ireland considering the high rates of alcohol consumption and the fact that most cases of FASD present with chronic undiagnosed mental health problems.

Attention: Prenatal alcohol and continuities of vigilance and attentional problems from 4 through 14 years

1995 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 419-446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann P. Streissguth ◽  
Fred L. Bookstein ◽  
Paul D. Sampson ◽  
Helen M. Barr
Keyword(s):  
Latent Variable ◽  
Prenatal Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Teacher Ratings ◽  
Self Report ◽  
False Alarms ◽  
Vigilance Performance ◽  
Grade Teacher ◽  
Prenatal Alcohol ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThis study examined the longitudinal components of vigilance performance and attentional behaviors across the ages of 4, 7, and 14 years of life as they relate to prenatal alcohol exposure assessed by maternal self-report in midpregnancy for a cohort of 512 children. The vigilance score most salient for prenatal alcohol across this 10-year developmental period was Standard Deviation of Reaction Time (SDRT). Also salient were False Alarms (FA) on the AX task, impulsive errors reflecting difficulty in withholding a response. All 19 of the children with poorest scores on a Vigilance Latent Variable (LV) at 14 years had scored low on a similarly-defined Vigilance LV at age 7 years. Cross-lagged correlations revealed that the 7-year Vigilance LV not only predicted second-grade teacher ratings of attention a year later (r = – .38), but also predicted fourth-fifth-grade teacher ratings of attention (r = – .36). These data reveal considerable consistency across time in the impact of prenatal alcohol on child/adolescent vigilance performance and attention between 4 and 14 years of age.

Synthesizing Animal and Human Studies of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure

2001 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 648-649 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul D. Connor
Keyword(s):  
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome ◽  
Prenatal Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Fetal Alcohol ◽  
Behavioral Disturbances ◽  
Quarter Century ◽  
Prenatal Alcohol ◽  
Primary Focus ◽  
Maternal Alcohol Abuse ◽  
The Impact

The primary focus of this volume is on the impact of alcohol on brain development. It is a perfect example of how research on both animals and humans can interact to produce very important findings. In the case of prenatal alcohol exposure, dialogue between animal and human researchers has proved to be very profitable for both lines of research. Initial observations by human researchers identified a syndrome of facial stigmata, physical malformations, and early behavioral disturbances that was related to maternal alcohol abuse during pregnancy. They gave this syndrome the name Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. However, human researchers were unable to state unequivocally that prenatal alcohol exposure was teratogenic to the fetus. Thus, they turned to animal researchers who were able to model Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in a variety of animals and to confirm the teratogenicity of alcohol on the developing fetus. The quarter century of studies of the damage caused by prenatal alcohol exposure is replete with such interactions between these two groups of researchers. Without the input and pioneering studies of animal researchers on the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure, human researchers would have much less understanding of the damage caused by alcohol exposure in utero or insights into possible treatment or remediation strategies for those damaged by alcohol exposure.

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