Research suggests fetal alcohol gene

MADISON, Wis., Sept. 21 (UPI) -- U.S. and Canadian researchers say a gene variant may make some infants more vulnerable to brain damage from fetal alcohol exposure.

The report, published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, said a genetic marker that signals susceptibility could provide a way of recognizing children most vulnerable to fetal alcohol damage and find ways to help them overcome their problems, lead author Mary Schneider of the University of Wisconsin-Madison said Friday in a release.

Primates were used in studies of a gene called a serotonin transporter gene promoter, which helps regulate the brain chemical serotonin. Past studies of both people and primates suggest that carriers of a short form of this gene are at increased risk for depression. The researchers found that primates who carried the short gene also suffered problems from exposure to moderate levels of alcohol in utero, the report said.

Schneider said the finding may help to explain why some children of mothers who drink during pregnancy suffer birth defects, while others seem to escape unharmed.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International

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