Introduction
Throughout the course of a 24 hour period, an individual will make numerous personal choices that will either positively or negatively affect their life. The decisions to not touch the hot stove, to eat instead of starve, or to enjoy the company of a loved one are all judgements that can be settled in one’s own brain. As a decision to not touch the stove in order to prevent harm to oneself is made, why is it that alcohol, which may also be determined as destructive to the human body, has become such a large part of the lives of many? Alcohol is seen as a way to relax and get away from the difficulties of life but often too much relaxing causes one to forget about the their own health along with the potential health of a future …show more content…
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), which includes fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), all fall under the umbrella of when a child-bearing woman, knowingly or unknowingly, makes the decision for their fetus/embryo and exposes them to alcohol during a crucial developmental period.1 Fetal alcohol syndrome has been disrupting the lives of many for years but it wasn’t until 1957 when the connection between alcohol consumption and developmental defects was made by a French medical student, Jacqueline Rouquettte, when she studied a sample of 100 children who were born from alcoholic parents.1 As there is a large spectrum of disorders that may result from alcohol exposure, a true FAS diagnosis requires abnormalities in three domains: a defect in the growth of the individual (prenatal and postnatal), a central nervous system dysfunction that results in a neurobehavioral disorder, and a facial abnormality or abnormalities.2 Even with these specific guidelines to “qualify” for FAS, the prevalence levels in the United States have been estimated at levels between .5 and two per 1,000 births.¬3 These numbers will then be equivalent to anywhere from 20,000 to 200,000 cases per year3, while in a mixed-ancestry community in the Western Cape of South Africa, the numbers are even higher at between 68.0 and 89.2 per 1,000 adolescents displaying FAS symptoms.4 Fetal alcohol syndrome has made a significant impact of the youth of the world along with the families that are responsible …show more content…
This network is also a design that will continue to build on itself throughout all stages of fetal development. In vivo (in lab) studies have shown that ethanol, or alcohol, exposure during early embryogenesis alters the normal production and growth of radial glia cells found in the body’s central nervous system, along with many other factors that contribute to a well-rounded, healthy development. 8 This is significant to the advancement of the fetus’s brain in that these radial glial cells are responsible for being the primary generator of neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes, all of which are important in the transmission of action potentials to quickly transporting signals to and from the brain. 9 As embryogenesis, or the embryonic period ceases after approximately week eight, week nine will mark the beginning of the stage of development known as the fetal period. It is during these weeks that growth will dominate; however, low birth weight, decreased head circumference, and decreased head length were all correlated with the fetus being exposed to alcohol throughout the first 2 months of development.
Throughout the course of a 24 hour period, an individual will make numerous personal choices that will either positively or negatively affect their life. The decisions to not touch the hot stove, to eat instead of starve, or to enjoy the company of a loved one are all judgements that can be settled in one’s own brain. As a decision to not touch the stove in order to prevent harm to oneself is made, why is it that alcohol, which may also be determined as destructive to the human body, has become such a large part of the lives of many? Alcohol is seen as a way to relax and get away from the difficulties of life but often too much relaxing causes one to forget about the their own health along with the potential health of a future …show more content…
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), which includes fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), all fall under the umbrella of when a child-bearing woman, knowingly or unknowingly, makes the decision for their fetus/embryo and exposes them to alcohol during a crucial developmental period.1 Fetal alcohol syndrome has been disrupting the lives of many for years but it wasn’t until 1957 when the connection between alcohol consumption and developmental defects was made by a French medical student, Jacqueline Rouquettte, when she studied a sample of 100 children who were born from alcoholic parents.1 As there is a large spectrum of disorders that may result from alcohol exposure, a true FAS diagnosis requires abnormalities in three domains: a defect in the growth of the individual (prenatal and postnatal), a central nervous system dysfunction that results in a neurobehavioral disorder, and a facial abnormality or abnormalities.2 Even with these specific guidelines to “qualify” for FAS, the prevalence levels in the United States have been estimated at levels between .5 and two per 1,000 births.¬3 These numbers will then be equivalent to anywhere from 20,000 to 200,000 cases per year3, while in a mixed-ancestry community in the Western Cape of South Africa, the numbers are even higher at between 68.0 and 89.2 per 1,000 adolescents displaying FAS symptoms.4 Fetal alcohol syndrome has made a significant impact of the youth of the world along with the families that are responsible …show more content…
This network is also a design that will continue to build on itself throughout all stages of fetal development. In vivo (in lab) studies have shown that ethanol, or alcohol, exposure during early embryogenesis alters the normal production and growth of radial glia cells found in the body’s central nervous system, along with many other factors that contribute to a well-rounded, healthy development. 8 This is significant to the advancement of the fetus’s brain in that these radial glial cells are responsible for being the primary generator of neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes, all of which are important in the transmission of action potentials to quickly transporting signals to and from the brain. 9 As embryogenesis, or the embryonic period ceases after approximately week eight, week nine will mark the beginning of the stage of development known as the fetal period. It is during these weeks that growth will dominate; however, low birth weight, decreased head circumference, and decreased head length were all correlated with the fetus being exposed to alcohol throughout the first 2 months of development.