(A) Many children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) are not consuming adequate or recommended levels of nutrients (Fuglestad et al. 2013). (B) Rodent models have shown that postnatal supplementation with various nutrients, including vitamin D, choline, and omega-3 fatty acids can reduce the severity of FASD. As shown in B, prenatal alcohol exposure in a rodent model impaired hippocampal plasticity, as measured by reduced long-term potentiation (blue bars = normal diet), an effect attenuated with postnatal supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids (orange bars = omega-3 supplemented diet) (Patten, et al. 2013b). Such studies illustrate how preclinical and clinical studies may inform one another in the development of effective interventions for FASD.NOTE: * = significant group differences at p ≤ 0.05; ** = significant group differences at p ≤ 0.01)
