Brain Iron and Mental Health Symptoms in Youth with and without Prenatal Alcohol Exposure
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) negatively affects brain development and increases the risk of poor mental health. We investigated if brain volumes or magnetic susceptibility, an indirect measure of brain iron, were associated with internalizing or externalizing symptoms in youth with and without PA...
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MDPI AG
2022-05-01
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| Series: | Nutrients |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/11/2213 |
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| author | Daphne Nakhid Carly A. McMorris Hongfu Sun Ben Gibbard Christina Tortorelli Catherine Lebel |
| author_facet | Daphne Nakhid Carly A. McMorris Hongfu Sun Ben Gibbard Christina Tortorelli Catherine Lebel |
| author_sort | Daphne Nakhid |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) negatively affects brain development and increases the risk of poor mental health. We investigated if brain volumes or magnetic susceptibility, an indirect measure of brain iron, were associated with internalizing or externalizing symptoms in youth with and without PAE. T1-weighted and quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) MRI scans were collected for 19 PAE and 40 unexposed participants aged 7.5–15 years. Magnetic susceptibility and volume of basal ganglia and limbic structures were extracted using FreeSurfer. Internalizing and Externalizing Problems were assessed using the Behavioural Assessment System for Children (BASC-2-PRS). Susceptibility in the nucleus accumbens was negatively associated with Internalizing Problems, while amygdala susceptibility was positively associated with Internalizing Problems across groups. PAE moderated the relationship between thalamus susceptibility and internalizing symptoms as well as the relationship between putamen susceptibility and externalizing symptoms. Brain volume was not related to internalizing or externalizing symptoms. These findings highlight that brain iron is related to internalizing and externalizing symptoms differently in some brain regions for youth with and without PAE. Atypical iron levels (high or low) may indicate mental health issues across individuals, and iron in the thalamus may be particularly important for behavior in individuals with PAE. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:00:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7e4c1bfdf8c7454c870a08f831621509 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6643 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:00:43Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nutrients |
| spelling | doaj.art-7e4c1bfdf8c7454c870a08f8316215092023-11-23T14:35:22ZengMDPI AGNutrients2072-66432022-05-011411221310.3390/nu14112213Brain Iron and Mental Health Symptoms in Youth with and without Prenatal Alcohol ExposureDaphne Nakhid0Carly A. McMorris1Hongfu Sun2Ben Gibbard3Christina Tortorelli4Catherine Lebel5Department of Neuroscience, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, CanadaAlberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI), University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, CanadaSchool of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, AustraliaAlberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI), University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, CanadaDepartment of Child Studies and Social Work, Mount Royal University, Calgary, AB T3E 6K6, CanadaAlberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI), University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, CanadaPrenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) negatively affects brain development and increases the risk of poor mental health. We investigated if brain volumes or magnetic susceptibility, an indirect measure of brain iron, were associated with internalizing or externalizing symptoms in youth with and without PAE. T1-weighted and quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) MRI scans were collected for 19 PAE and 40 unexposed participants aged 7.5–15 years. Magnetic susceptibility and volume of basal ganglia and limbic structures were extracted using FreeSurfer. Internalizing and Externalizing Problems were assessed using the Behavioural Assessment System for Children (BASC-2-PRS). Susceptibility in the nucleus accumbens was negatively associated with Internalizing Problems, while amygdala susceptibility was positively associated with Internalizing Problems across groups. PAE moderated the relationship between thalamus susceptibility and internalizing symptoms as well as the relationship between putamen susceptibility and externalizing symptoms. Brain volume was not related to internalizing or externalizing symptoms. These findings highlight that brain iron is related to internalizing and externalizing symptoms differently in some brain regions for youth with and without PAE. Atypical iron levels (high or low) may indicate mental health issues across individuals, and iron in the thalamus may be particularly important for behavior in individuals with PAE.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/11/2213prenatal alcohol exposureFASDbrainironQSMMRI |
| spellingShingle | Daphne Nakhid Carly A. McMorris Hongfu Sun Ben Gibbard Christina Tortorelli Catherine Lebel Brain Iron and Mental Health Symptoms in Youth with and without Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Nutrients prenatal alcohol exposure FASD brain iron QSM MRI |
| title | Brain Iron and Mental Health Symptoms in Youth with and without Prenatal Alcohol Exposure |
| title_full | Brain Iron and Mental Health Symptoms in Youth with and without Prenatal Alcohol Exposure |
| title_fullStr | Brain Iron and Mental Health Symptoms in Youth with and without Prenatal Alcohol Exposure |
| title_full_unstemmed | Brain Iron and Mental Health Symptoms in Youth with and without Prenatal Alcohol Exposure |
| title_short | Brain Iron and Mental Health Symptoms in Youth with and without Prenatal Alcohol Exposure |
| title_sort | brain iron and mental health symptoms in youth with and without prenatal alcohol exposure |
| topic | prenatal alcohol exposure FASD brain iron QSM MRI |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/11/2213 |
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