Alcohol and Alcoholism Effects on Brain and Development

This is the first volume that focuses on the lifespan neurobehavioral factors likely to determine susceptibility to alcohol abuse and its consequences. The chapters offer careful analysis of the effects of ethanol on the fetus, the infant, the adolescent, and the adult. The authors include behavioral neuroscientists and clinical neuropsychologists. Their topics range from the neurochemical and neuroanatomical consequences of prenatal alcohol to the cognitive consequences of prenatal alcohol on preschool and school-age children. The impact of genetics on sensitivity to alcohol is considered in terms of analytic tests using techniques of behavioral genetics and molecular biology. The consequences of exposure to alcohol during breastfeeding are described in experiments with human infants. The alcoholism that develops in adulthood is analyzed through the experimental study of relapse from alcohol deprivation and assessment of neuropsychological impairments and treatment for alcoholics. Drawing on extensive research that has applied techniques from molecular neurobiology and tests of learning and memory to the clinical assessment and treatment of alcoholics.

The volume answers recent questions raised by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the National Institute of Drug Abuse about the role of early experience in susceptibility to later abuse of alcohol and other drugs. Although epidemiological studies can describe the problem, solutions in terms of mechanisms that mediate these effects will be found only with the kinds of experimentally oriented approaches the chapter authors describe.

Contents: J.H. Hannigan, L.P. Spear, N.E. Spear, Introduction: How Research on Alcohol and Alcoholism Has Informed Research on Developing Brains. T.M. Roebuck, S.N. Mattson, E.P. Riley, Prenatal Exposure to Alcohol: Effects on Brain Structure and Neuropsychological Functioning. W-J.A. Chen, J.R. West, Alcohol-Induced Brain Damage During Development: Potential Risk Factors. J.H. Hannigan, D.E. Saunders, L.M. Treas, M.A. Sperry, Modification of Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorders: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies of Neuroplasticity. C.R. Goodlett, T.B. Johnson, Temporal Windows of Vulnerability Within the Third Trimester Equivalent: Why "Knowing When" Matters. A.M. Allan, D.P. Savage, III, Prenatal Ethanol Exposure Alters the Modulation of the GABAA(last "A" should be a subscript "A") Receptor-Gated Chloride Ion Channel in Adult Rat Offspring. B.C. Dudek, T. Tritto, K.A. Case, B.J. Caldarone, J. Clarke, Genetics, Psychomotor Stimulant Effects of Ethanol, and Ethanol Absorption in Mice. D.L. McKinzie, W.J. McBride, J.M. Murphy, L. Lumeng, T-K. Li, Rat Lines Selectively Bred for Alcohol Preference: A Potential Animal Model of Adolescent Alcohol Drinking. C.J. Heyser, G. Schulteis, G.F. Koob, The Alcohol Deprivation Effect: Experimental Conditions, Applications, and Treatment. J.A. Mennella, The Transfer of Alcohol to Human Milk: Sensory Implications and Effects on Mother-Infant Interaction. J.C. Molina, H.D. Domínguez, M.F. López, M.Y. Pepino, A.E. Faas, The Role of Fetal and Infantile Experience With Alcohol in Later Recognition and Acceptance Patterns of the Drug. J.E. Smith, R.J. Meyers, V.A. Waldorf, Covering All Bases: Engaging and Treating Individuals With Alcohol Problems. C.R. Goodlett, Future Research on Alcohol and Development: Forging a Merger of Discovery and Application.

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