Development of the EEG between 30 and 40 weeks gestation in normal and alcohol-exposed infants.

A total of 441 newborn infants with gestational ages between 30 and 40 weeks had EEG studies between 36 and 48 hours after birth. Their mothers had either abstained from alcohol during pregnancy or had ingested alcohol in one of four categories: occasional, moderate, binge or frankly alcoholic. The power of the EEG, using linear regression analysis, was significantly higher among infants of mothers in the occasional, binge and alcoholic categories than among infants of abstainers. Developmental changes in the EEGs of binge-drinking mothers were even more striking than in those of the offspring of the alcoholic mothers. These results indicate that fetal exposure to alcohol interferes with normal maturation of the brain as early as 30 weeks gestation. Furthermore, exposure to frequent high quantities of alcohol may be even more harmful to the fetal brain than continuous chronic exposure.