Children born to women who drink heavily during pregnancy are at risk for various developmental disorders, collectively called Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a severe form of FASD in which the affected child is diagnosed with growth retardation, abnormal central nervous system development (typically including microencephaly), and a characteristic pattern of abnormal facial features [1-4]; organ dysmorphology, particularly of the eye and heart, may be evident in FAS cases as well [5,6]. Disruption of complex molecular cascades that regulate embryonic morphogenesis likely are responsible for the teratogenic effects of alcohol. Potential mechanisms include metabolic stress, reduced signaling by transcription factors, retinoic acid or growth factors, disrupted cell-cell interactions, impaired cell proliferation, and apoptosis [7-16]. Several of these mechanisms may have direct roles in causing the cell death and growth retardation in multiple systems, including brain and head (for review see [17]).
