Prenatal Drinking, Environmental Enrichment: Effects On Neurotrophins Are Independent Of Each Other

ScienceDaily for July 23, 2008 reported on effects of alcohol by mothers on fetal brain development.

Prenatal alcohol exposure may be particularly destructive for neurotrophins, a family of peptides that influence the growth, development and functional plasticity of the fetal brain. A new rodent study of alcohol's effects on three key neurotrophins has found that, even though environmental enrichment may be able to improve some fetal-alcohol effects, those benefits do not appear to be mediated by neurotrophins.