Cognitive Impairments at Two Years of Age After Prenatal Alcohol Exposure or Perinatal Asphyxia

Abstract

The purpose of this follow-up study was to assess and describe early cognitive impairments in two-year old children exposed to alcohol (1) until the second trimester (n = 20), (2) until the third trimester (n = 20), (3) throughout pregnancy (n= 20), (4) children to mothers with preeclampsia (n= 37), (5) children surviving acute birth asphyxia (n= 14), and (6) a normal control group (n= 48). Alcohol exposure throughout pregnancy was found to be associated with impairments in language (mean SD score = -1.3) and visuo-motor development (mean SD score = -2.0). Preeclampsia was related to impairment in visuomotor development (mean SD score = -1.2) and attention (mean SD score =-0.7). Alcohol exposure until the third trimester was associated with attention deficit alone (mean SD score = -0.9). Alcohol exposure until the second trimester and acute birth asphyxia were not associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment. The study also showed that neuropsychological test profiles of language, visuo-motor functions and attention may be obtained with the aid of an adapted version of the Bayley Mental Scale and an evaluation of attention.

Key words

Fetal alcohol exposure - Perinatal asphyxia - Mental development - Visuo-motor impairment - Language disorder - Attention deficit - Cognitive impairment