A new MRI study from MedUni Vienna, Austria, shows that even small or moderate alcohol consumption during pregnancy can alter a baby’s brain structure and delay development. The findings will be presented at this year’s Radiological Society of North America meeting.
Prenatal alcohol exposure puts fetuses at risk of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs), which can cause learning disabilities, behavioral issues, or delayed language development in infants.
In the study, researchers analyzed MRI scans of 24 fetuses exposed to alcohol prenatally, between 22 and 36 weeks of gestation. These fetuses had significantly lower total maturation scores than age-matched controls, with a shallower right superior temporal sulcus—a brain region critical for social cognition, audio-visual integration, and language perception, whose formation strongly influences childhood language development.
Changes were observed even with low alcohol exposure: 17 of the 24 mothers drank relatively little (less than one drink weekly on average), yet significant fetal brain changes were detected via prenatal MRI.
Researchers note delayed fetal brain development may link to delayed myelination (a process vital for nerve function, supporting milestones like rolling, crawling, and language processing) and less prominent gyrification (folding of the cerebral cortex) in the frontal and occipital lobes. Reduced gyrification limits cortical surface area and cognitive function.
They emphasize that pregnant women should strictly avoid alcohol, as even small amounts can cause structural changes and delay fetal brain maturation.
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