Alcohol, Pregnancy, and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum DisordersAlcohol consumption during any gestation of pregnancy is equivalent to fetal alcohol consumption, which can cause harmful physical and neurological defects. Infants born with varying degrees of harmful effects from prenatal alcohol ingestion may present with a variety of disorders described as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders [FASD] (May & Gossage, 2011a). The most profound effects of prenatal alcohol exposure concern fetal brain development, which includes resulting cognitive and behavioral effects (Riley, Infante, & Warren, 2011). The incidence of FASD is believed to range between 0.2 and 2 per 1000 live births (Douzgou et al., 2012). Alcohol produces teratogenic effects in all gestations, with peculiar characteristics in relation to the trimester of pregnancy in which alcohol is consumed (Paoletti et al., 2013). Since there is no exact dose-response relationship between the amount of alcohol ingested during the prenatal period and the extent of the damage caused by alcohol in the fetus, abstinence from alcohol at the time of conception and during pregnancy is strongly recommended (Paoletti et al. ., 2013). Pathophysiology When alcohol is consumed by a pregnant woman, it crosses the placenta and quickly reaches the fetus. There have been many studies that have shown equivalent fetal and maternal alcohol concentrations, suggesting unrestrained bidirectional movement of alcohol between the 2 compartments (Vaux, 2012). The fetus appears to depend on maternal liver detoxification because alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity in the fetal liver is less than 10% of that observed in the adult liver (Vaux, 2012). Furthermore, amniotic fluid acts as… middle of paper… euronal plasticity, or the brain's ability to change in relation to previous experiences (Paoletti et al., 2013). During development, neuronal plasticity plays a key role in learning and memory processes (Medina, 2011). The proposed alcohol-induced oxidative stress may explain the mechanism by which alcohol may exert harmful teratogenic effects on the brain during the third trimester (Brocardo, Gil-Mohapel, & Christie, 2011). Clinical manifestations The main cause of intellectual disability is maternal alcohol abuse (Sadler, & Langman, 2012). Diagnosis There are three main factors that must be addressed in diagnosing FASD in an individual: (1) physical growth, development, and structural defects (e.g., dysmorphology); (2) cognitive function and neurobehavior; and (3) maternal exposure and risk (May & Gossage, 2011a).