Low to Moderate Average Alcohol Consumption and Binge Drinking in Early Pregnancy: Effects on Choice Reaction Time and Information Processing Time in Five-Year-Old Children

Background

Deficits in information processing may be a core deficit after fetal alcohol exposure. This study was designed to investigate the possible effects of weekly low to moderate maternal alcohol consumption and binge drinking episodes in early pregnancy on choice reaction time (CRT) and information processing time (IPT) in young children.

Method

Participants were sampled based on maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy. At the age of 60–64 months, 1,333 children were administered a modified version of the Sternberg paradigm to assess CRT and IPT. In addition, a test of general intelligence (WPPSI-R) was administered.

Results

Adjusted for a wide range of potential confounders, this study showed no significant effects of average weekly maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy on CRT or IPT. There was, however, an indication of slower CRT associated with binge drinking episodes in gestational weeks 1–4.

Conclusion

This study observed no significant effects of average weekly maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy on CRT or IPT as assessed by the Sternberg paradigm. However, there were some indications of CRT being associated with binge drinking during very early pregnancy. Further large-scale studies are needed to investigate effects of different patterns of maternal alcohol consumption on basic cognitive processes in offspring.     

Drinking and Driving

Alcohol misuse generates many health and social problems at a cost that society is increasingly unwilling to sustain. One of the most tragic consequences of alcohol misuse is the result of drinking and driving. Each week, impaired drivers kill 40 Canadian men, women and children and injure 1250 others. The Canadian Medical Association (CMA), in its campaign against drinking and driving, has recommended that a condition of obtaining or renewing a driver''s licence include the individual''s written consent to allow the taking of blood samples by qualified medical personnel when deemed necessary by law enforcement agencies. CMA has recommended to the provinces that the legal age for the purchase and public possession of alcohol be raised to 21. CMA also supports the ban of all alcohol advertising in the electronic media and emphasizes that since alcohol is a drug, all containers should be visibly labelled “Misuse of this Product can be Injurious to Health”. CMA continues to support and encourage the federal and provincial governments in their battle to prevent alcohol-related deaths and injuries through education, control of advertising, use of breathalyzer devices, mandatory blood alcohol testing and legislation enacting stiffer penalties for drinking and driving.