Babies who are exposed to alcohol in the womb are at increased risk for drug addiction later in life.
Neuroscientists have long been aware that one of the many negative consequences of alcohol exposure in the womb is an increased risk for drug addiction later in life. Now, thanks to a research grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, they know why.
Prenatal alcohol exposure is one of the leading preventable causes of birth defects and neurodevelopmental abnormalities in the world. Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) cause cognitive and behavioural problems. In addition to increased vulnerability of alcohol and other substance use disorders, FASD can lead to other mental health issues including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), depression, anxiety and problems with impulse control.
Dr Roh-Yu Shen, an expert in foetal alcohol syndrome, has been studying how prenatal alcohol exposure alters the reward system in the brain and how this change continues through to adulthood. She says that the key appears to lie with endocannibinoids, cannabis-like chemicals that are produced by the brain itself:
“By understanding the role endocannibinoids play in increasing the brain’s susceptibility to addiction, we can start developing drug therapies or other interventions to combat that effect and, perhaps, other negative consequences of prenatal alcohol exposure.”
Dr Shen says exposure to alcohol in the womb has long-lasting repercussions:
“After the prenatal brain is exposed to alcohol, the endocannibinoids have a different effect on certain dopamine neurons which are involved in addicted behaviours than when brain is not exposed to alcohol.
The end result is that the dopamine neurons in the brain become more sensitive to a drug of abuse’s effect. So, later in life, a person needs much less drug use to become addicted.”
