In this Monday (6) edition of the Medical Correspondent chart, on the New Day, neurosurgeon Fernando Gomes assesses the risks brought by the consumption of alcoholic beverages by women during pregnancy after the disclosure of a study conducted by the Radiological Society of North America ( RSNA).
The research was done through MRI scans in 27 fetuses, aged 20 to 37 weeks, whose mothers had consumed some amount of alcohol during pregnancy. The results were compared with resonances from another 36 fetuses of mothers who did not consume any alcoholic beverages.
Fernando Gomes explained the study’s findings, which indicate a change in fetal brain morphology in cases of alcohol ingestion. At least three areas would have been affected: the hippocampus, which regulates behavior and memory production; the corpus callosum, which makes the connection between the left and right hemispheres, and the region around the ventricles, where there is a germinal matrix that gives rise to neurons.
“This proves what we already know,” said Gomes. “The brain of a developing baby who ends up being bombarded with this substance can undergo changes that will involve the development of that child’s mind, behavior and intelligence.”
“Imagine that you take a growing plant and interfere with its growth process. It will not become a leafy tree,” he explained.
According to the doctor, the effects can generate learning disorders, with a delay in neuropsychomotor development – the process in which the child develops physical skills – in addition to interfering with the pedagogical process, with greater difficulty compared to other children. In very severe cases, there is the possibility of permanent mental retardation.
“It’s long-term damage. These locations are very important and, when we talk about this point of impact where there is a neuron sprouting and being compromised, we can imagine that, up ahead, this brain will come out at a disadvantage. The normal brain has about 86 billion neurons, each making about 10,000 synapses. It’s too much. But it’s a lot that is missing if you don’t have it, mainly in the development process”, he said.
The neurosurgeon assessed that it is impossible to establish a “safe amount” for alcohol consumption during pregnancy, but that, in an eventual case, this does not necessarily represent harm to the health of the fetus.
“Of course, common sense is what prevails. It is not because the person had a drink one day that it will do irreversible damage. We know that the prolonged effect of exposure to the substance ends up passing to the baby and interfering with the development process.”
“It’s not an expert opinion. When we talk about science and proof of changes in organ morphology, we often need to stay quiet and pay attention to what science is showing”, he concluded.
Gomes also compared the effects of alcohol to tobacco. According to the doctor, the impacts caused by the two substances are different, but equally harmful.
“Smoking hinders the arrival of oxygenated blood into the brain tissue and imposes a development in a disadvantaged situation. Tobacco can impact brain development, not in exactly the same regions. We know that smoking ends up having a much more widespread impact, perhaps not as specialized in terms of locations, because alcohol has a specific issue with inhibitory neurotransmitters.”
Reference: CNN Brasil
