STAMPA ANN. 04|06 - Chotro

INTRODUCTION Studies in both humans and animals have extensively demonstrated the deleterious effects on the fetus of maternal alcohol ingestion. Although deficits produced by prenatal exposure to high ethanol levels are most severe and have been documented most significantly in children with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), there are data showing that children prenatally exposed to lower levels of alcohol frequently exhibit similar problems, especially those related to neurobehavioral impairment [1-3]. In recent years a growing amount of research has been published in relation to the effects of moderate drinking in humans. But, how is defined moderate drinking? Some authors have described moderate ethanol consumption as the one with a low risk for generating ethanol related problems [4]. Although the amount of factors that influence the effect of ethanol intake makes very difficult to establish a quantitative limit, in general for humans a moderate ethanol intake has been set between 1 and 1.99 drink/day for men and no more than 1 drink/day for women [5, 6]. Considering that one drink corresponds approximately to 0.5 fl oz ethanol, this consumption is equivalent to 24-28 g/day for men and 12-14 g/day for women [4]. The inferior limit for the moderate consumers’ category has been established on 4 drink/week [7]. In clinical studies on the effects of ethanol consumption during gestation a moderate drinking pattern is considered as an intake of 7 to 14 drink/week. In two longitudinal clinical studies [8, 9] in which the effects of prenatal ethanol on neurobehavioral development were analyzed, concluded that there is no clear threshold for these effects. For some behaviors, such as mental development, even the smallest dose of ethanol (0.02 to 3.49 drink/week) seems to have effects on the fetus, although most neurobehavioral outcomes have higher thresholds [5]. So far, it is not clear whether exists a limit of ethanol intake during gestation that does not produce any effect on the development of the fetus. The difficulty for conclusions on this respect comes from the impossibility to control all the factors intervening in clinical studies. Some authors indicate that for concluding whether or not prenatal ethanol exposure affects a given cognitive function, certain factors should be considered such as the test used and the age of the tested subject [5]. Other factors such as acute stress that may help the expression of deficits produced by ethanol prenatal exposure Exposure to low and moderate doses of alcohol on late gestation modifies infantile response to and preference for alcohol in rats