Abstract

Although FASD is characterized by physical, behavioral and cognitive deficits that provide compelling evidence of brain damage, routine clinical brain imaging often yields non-significant findings that add little insight into the diagnostic process. Nonetheless, research studies using advanced methods have identified numerous abnormalities of brain structure when comparing groups of individuals with FASD to groups of typically developing individuals, including brain volume reductions and abnormalities of cortical thickness and white matter microstructure. In addition, several studies have identified group-level associations between abnormal brain structure and cognitive performance, degree of prenatal alcohol exposure, or other key clinical metrics. This chapter summarizes some of these key findings, highlighting how MRI has advanced our understanding of FASD while also discussing its current limitations as a biomarker of prenatal alcohol exposure.