Prenatal alcohol exposure and autistic spectrum disorders--a population-based prospective study of 80 552 children and their mothers.

Eliasen M, Tolstrup JS, Nybo Andersen AM, Grønbæk M, Olsen J, Strandberg-Larsen K.

National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark, Division of Epidemiology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark and Department of Epidemiology, UCLA School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: To examine whether maternal alcohol intake, including binge drinking (intake >/=5 drinks, equivalent to 60 g pure ethanol on a single occasion), is associated with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) and infantile autism. METHODS: Participants were 80 552 children and their mothers enrolled in the Danish National Birth Cohort from 1996 to 2002. Alcohol consumption was obtained by self-report during pregnancy. Information on ASD was obtained from the Danish Central Psychiatry Register. Follow-up ended on February 2008. Data were analysed by means of Cox regression. RESULTS: In total, 401 children were diagnosed with ASD and 157 with infantile autism. No association was found between average alcohol consumption and ASD or infantile autism, respectively. For binge drinking, the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for ASD was 0.72 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.53-0.97] among women who binge drank once during pregnancy compared with women who did not binge drink. The corresponding HR for infantile autism was 0.61 (95% CI: 0.36-1.02). However, the HR for ASD was 0.84 (95% CI: 0.51-1.36) when restricting the analysis to first-time pregnancies conceived within 6 months of trying. No estimate was made for infantile autism due to low number of cases. No association was seen for more than one binge episode and for the timing of binge drinking. CONCLUSION: Our findings do not support that a low prenatal alcohol exposure increases the risk of ASD or infantile autism. The lower risk for women who binge drank once during pregnancy is most likely non-causal.

PMID: 20371506 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Resveratrol's effect on the brain

Eur J Pharmacol. 2010 Mar 30. [Epub ahead of print]

Anti-inflammatory activities of resveratrol in the brain: Role of resveratrol in microglial activation.

Zhang F, Liu J, Shi JS.

Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200071, China; Department of Pharmacology and Key Lab of Basic Pharmacology of Guizhou, Zunyi Medical College, Zunyi 563003, China.

Abstract

Neuroinflammation is an important contributor to pathogenesis of neurological disorders, with microglial activation as a hallmark of neuroinflammation. Microglia serve the role of immune surveillance under normal conditions, but after brain damage or exposure to inflammation, microglia are activated and secret pro-inflammatory and neurotoxic mediators. Sustained production of these factors contributes to neuronal damage. Therefore, inhibition of microglia-mediated neuroninflammation may become a promising therapeutic target for neurological disorders. Resveratrol, a non-flavonoid polyphenol rich in red wine and grapes, has beneficial health effects from its antioxidant, anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties. Recently, resveratrol has been shown to protect against various neurological disorders in experimental models, including brain ischemia, seizures, and neurodegenerative disease models. This minireview summarized the anti-inflammatory activities of resveratrol in the brain from both in vivo and in vitro studies, and highlighted the inhibition of activated microglia as a potential mechanism of neuroprotection. The release of various pro-inflammatory factors, the production of reactive oxygen species, and the activation of signal pathways leading to neuroinflammation were discussed in relation to microglial activation. Taken together, microglia are an important target for anti-inflammatory activities of resveratrol in the brain. Copyright © 2010. Published by Elsevier B.V.

PMID: 20361959 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]