Fetal alcohol syndrome: neurochemical and endocrinological abnormalities.

From clinical and experimental studies it is evident that maternal alcohol intake produces deleterious effects on the development of offspring. In infants, these effects can range from lowered birth weight, general retardation of growth and development with functional deficits, to mental retardation with fetal alcohol syndrome. In animals, exposure to alcohol at a level not associated with classical teratological effects can still cause alterations in neural/synaptic development and hormonal secretion. Growth deficiencies and behavioral alterations have also been observed in pups exposed to ethanol in utero. The mechanisms underlying these actions of alcohol are not yet known because the factors that regulate normal growth and development of the central system are still poorly understood.