Effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on social behavior in humans and other species

Alcohol exposure during development causes central nervous system alteratio ns in both humans and animals. Although the most common behavioral manifest ation of these alterations is a reduction in cognitive abilities, it is bec oming increasingly apparent that deficits in social behavior may be very pr evalent sequelae of developmental alcohol exposure. In infancy and early ch ildhood, deficits in attachment behavior and state regulation are seen in b oth alcohol-exposed people and animals, suggesting that these changes are l argely the result of the alcohol exposure rather than maternal behavior. In the periadolescent period, people exposed to alcohol during development sh ow a variety of difficulties in the social domain as measured by checklists filled out by either a parent or teacher. Rats exposed to alcohol during d evelopment show changes in play and parenting behaviors. In adulthood, pren atal alcohol exposure is related to high rates of trouble with the law, ina ppropriate sexual behavior, depression, suicide, and failure to care for ch ildren. These high rates all suggest that there may be fundamental problems in the social domain. In other animals, perinatal alcohol exposure alters aggression, active social interactions, social communication and recognitio n, maternal behavior, and sexual behavior in adults. In conclusion, researc h suggests that people exposed to alcohol during development may exhibit st riking changes in social behavior; the animal research suggests that these changes may be largely the result of the alcohol insult and not the environ ment. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.