Why some children are harmed by mother's alcohol, but others aren't
Wednesday, March 23, 2011 - 19:31
in Psychology & Sociology
Why does one woman who drinks alcohol during pregnancy have a child with behavioral or learning problems while another woman who also drinks has a child without these problems? New research shows one answer is a gene variation passed on by the mother to her son. This makes a fetus vulnerable to even moderate alcohol exposure by disrupting the balance of thyroid hormones in the brain. In the future, vulnerable women could be identified and given dietary supplements to correct the problem.