Alcohol is a known teratogen that can impart significant damage on a developing fetus and may lead to fetal alcohol syndrome disorder (FASD) (Riley, Infante, & Warren, 2011). A collaborative effort over the past 30 years has characterized not only the more obvious outcomes of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) in offspring, such as microencephalopathy and speech and language pathologies, but also the molecular, structural, and cognitive consequences that persist into adulthood after PAE. Reports of alcohol's long-lasting effects on the central nervous system suggest alterations in the original molecular programming and structural elements established during gestation, also known as fetal programming. Yet, the impact of alcohol on fetal development, a particularly critical period of vulnerability, has not been fully explored.
