A serious consequence of maternal consumption of alcohol during pregnancy is the fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS): characterized by growth deficiency (both pre- and post-natal), craniofacial dysmorphology and central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction. However, in the absence of the characteristic facial features, and without confirmed history of alcohol exposure, clinical diagnosis remains a significant challenge. Recently, the term fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) has been adopted to encompass all diagnoses relating to a history of prenatal alcohol exposure. The purpose of this study was to test the following three general hypotheses: Children with FASD 1) demonstrate specific deficits in oculomotor control that can be measured using saccadic eye movement tasks, 2) display specific deficiencies in multiple domains of executive function that can be determined using standardized neuropsychological tasks, and 3) reveal deficits in oculomotor control that correlate with deficiencies in executive function as measured using standardized neuropsychological tasks. A preliminary study revealed significant deficits in saccadic eye movement tasks and provided the foundation for a large, multi-centered study assessing oculomotor control and neuropsychological function in children with FASD. A mobile laboratory was created, which facilitated recruitment of 92 control subjects and 89 subjects with FASD. We found significant evidence for oculomotor deficits across multiple outcome measures following the saccadic eye movement experiments, especially for oculomotor tasks that probe aspects of executive function. Additionally, children with FASD exhibited performance deficits in neuropsychological tasks that assess planning, attention, spatial working memory and strategy; cognitive skills also included within the domain of executive function. Finally, significant correlations between these two objective measures were found for children with FASD, which were not evident in the control sample. These findings are consistent with significant frontal lobe dysfunction. This is an exciting area of research that may hold promise in developing effective screening tools that can assist in the diagnosis of individuals with a history of prenatal alcohol exposure. / Thesis (Ph.D, Neuroscience Studies) -- Queen's University, 2008-08-28 15:41:20.595

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Alcohol consumption during pregnancy is detrimental to the developing nervous system of the unborn offspring. The hippocampus, one of the two brain regions where neurogenesis persists into adulthood, is particularly sensitive to the teratogenic effects of alcohol. The present study examined the effects of alcohol exposure throughout all three trimester equivalents on the stages of adult neurogenesis. Prenatal and early postnatal alcohol exposure (PPAE) altered cell proliferation in adult but not adolescent animals and increased early neuronal differentiation without affecting cell survival in both age groups. The levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were not affected by PPAE in the dentate gyrus but were significantly decreased in the Cornu ammonis region of the hippocampus. These results might explain the functional deficits seen in this hippocampal sub-region. This study identified that voluntary wheel running increased cell proliferation, differentiation and survival as well as BDNF expression in both PPAE and control animals. / Graduate

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This thesis is an analysis of a curriculum development process used to train youth workers to raise and respond to alcohol issues. Within an interpretivist framework, a seven-stage model of curriculum planning was developed. Stage 1 involved examination of the literature on youth work and alcohol and youth work training, an empirical needs assessment study (via a national survey and in-depth consultation in one youth service) and examination of the results in relation to the literature on young people and alcohol. Stage 2 used the stage 1 data to define the rationale, which in turn informed stages 3-5, formulation of aims and learning outcomes, learning activities and teaching resources. Stage 6, delivery, involved pilot courses in in- service and initial-training contexts. Illuminative evaluation was used to assess the training process (Stage 7) and its impact on youth worker practice. The staged model was found to be a practical curriculum development framework, particularly combined with an action-research approach. The study confirmed the importance of thorough training needs assessment, including the needs of service users. Youth workers were found to typically adopt a reactive approach to alcohol issues, which focused on individual young drinkers rather than structural determinants of alcohol-related harm. The pilot courses were successful in stimulating planned alcohol education initiatives. Features of training that enabled youth workers to tackle alcohol issues included: a clear rationale based on youth work principles, harm-reduction goals, understanding the place and meaning of alcohol in young people's lives, a practice focus and managerial support. The study discusses the implications of the findings for youth work training and informal education practice and suggests a strategy for fixture development of the alcohol training materials.