Choline supplementation in young children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder can have durable developmental benefits
Children affected by prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) experience long-lasting cognitive gains after treatment with supplemental choline, an essential nutrient, a new study suggests. The findings point to a potentially scalable intervention for neurodevelopmental differences that currently have few treatment options. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is an umbrella term for several diagnoses…
Children who experienced prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) showed lasting cognitive benefits after being given supplemental choline, according to a new study. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), which affects 1%–5% of the global population, can cause physical, cognitive, and behavioral issues. Choline has been shown to support brain development in both animal models of PAE and human pregnancies involving alcohol exposure.
Although there have been few randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of FASD treatments, researchers at the University of Minnesota previously conducted three such studies involving choline supplementation in young children diagnosed with FASD. The new study in Alcohol: Clinical & Experimental Research reassessed these children five years later, finding that those treated with choline continued to perform better on tests of certain cognitive functions compared to those who received a placebo.
Specifically, children treated with choline had an average nonverbal IQ that was 7% higher and a 9% higher working memory score than those who received placebo. Higher doses of choline were associated with greater cognitive gains, but the follow-up assessment did not reveal differences in other measures of global cognitive function, memory, or parent-rated behavioral issues.
The findings suggest that choline could be a valuable early treatment to alter a child's neurodevelopmental trajectory and improve their cognitive function over the long term.
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