Alcohol consumption by fathers before conception could negatively impact child development

A recent study conducted by scientists from the University of California, explores the relationship between parental alcohol consumption before conception in the case of fathers and during pregnancy in the case of mothers and child development.

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In the study, published in 'Alcoholism', the researchers report that when alcohol-exposed male mice mated with alcohol-naive females, the offspring displayed significant deficits in brain development. Specifically, the neocortex, the most complex part of the mammalian brain responsible for complex cognitive and behavioral function, had patterning deficits where abnormal gene expression led to miswiring of connections. Although neither these mice nor their mothers had ever been exposed to alcohol, their brains showed changes consistent with a mouse model of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, or FASD.

"People have known about the dangers of maternal drinking during pregnancy for years; however, the safety of paternal drinking while trying to conceive has barely been considered," said Kelly Huffman, an associate professor of psychology who led the study and whose lab generated the FASD mouse model.

"Our research shows that fathers' exposure to alcohol leading up to conception can have deleterious effects on the child's brain and behavioral development," added Huffman.

In a second paper, published in Neuropharmacology, Huffman's team reports that when female mice were given choline, an essential nutrient, along with alcohol during their pregnancies, the negative outcomes associated with prenatal alcohol exposure, such as smaller body weight, brain weight, and abnormalities in the anatomy of the neocortex, were reduced in the offspring.

This suggests choline supplementation could prevent the adverse outcomes associated with prenatal alcohol exposure.