Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38093292›Full record

ArticleBMC medicine2023

Functional connectivity of cognition-related brain networks in adults with fetal alcohol syndrome.

Benedikt Sundermann, Reinhold Feldmann, Christian Mathys, Johanna M H Rau, Stefan Garde, Anna Braje, Josef Weglage, Bettina Pfleiderer

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
7.0field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 12 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Impact of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure on Cerebral Cortex Development.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2026
    Review
  5. Article
  6. Network homeostasis: functional brain network alterations and relapse in remitted late-life depression.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2025
    Article
  7. Review
  8. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Benedikt SundermannInstitute of Radiology and Neuroradiology, Evangelisches Krankenhaus Oldenburg, Universitätsmedizin Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-4390-3464
Reinhold FeldmannDepartment of General Pediatrics, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany.
Christian MathysInstitute of Radiology and Neuroradiology, Evangelisches Krankenhaus Oldenburg, Universitätsmedizin Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany.
Johanna M H RauClinic of Radiology, Medical Faculty, University of Münster, Albert- Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A1, 48149, Münster, Germany.
Stefan GardeClinic of Radiology, Medical Faculty, University of Münster, Albert- Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A1, 48149, Münster, Germany.
Anna BrajeClinic of Radiology, Medical Faculty, University of Münster, Albert- Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A1, 48149, Münster, Germany.
Josef WeglageDepartment of General Pediatrics, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany.
Bettina PfleidererClinic of Radiology, Medical Faculty, University of Münster, Albert- Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A1, 48149, Münster, Germany. pfleide@uni-muenster.de.ORCID 0000-0002-1238-6225
University of Münster · DECarl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg · DEUniversity Hospital Münster · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) can result in cognitive dysfunction. Cognitive functions affected are subserved by few functional brain networks. Functional connectivity (FC) in these networks can be assessed with resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI). Alterations of FC have been reported in children and adolescents prenatally exposed to alcohol. Previous reports varied substantially regarding the exact nature of findings. The purpose of this study was to assess FC of cognition-related networks in young adults with FAS.

methodsCross-sectional rs-fMRI study in participants with FAS (n = 39, age: 20.9 ± 3.4 years) and healthy participants without prenatal alcohol exposure (n = 44, age: 22.2 ± 3.4 years). FC was calculated as correlation between cortical regions in ten cognition-related sub-networks. Subsequent modelling of overall FC was based on linear models comparing FC between FAS and controls. Results were subjected to a hierarchical statistical testing approach, first determining whether there is any alteration of FC in FAS in the full cognitive connectome, subsequently resolving these findings to the level of either FC within each network or between networks based on the Higher Criticism (HC) approach for detecting rare and weak effects in high-dimensional data. Finally, group differences in single connections were assessed using conventional multiple-comparison correction. In an additional exploratory analysis, dynamic FC states were assessed.

resultsComparing FAS participants with controls, we observed altered FC of cognition-related brain regions globally, within 7 out of 10 networks, and between networks employing the HC statistic. This was most obvious in attention-related network components. Findings also spanned across subcomponents of the fronto-parietal control and default mode networks. None of the single FC alterations within these networks yielded statistical significance in the conventional high-resolution analysis. The exploratory time-resolved FC analysis did not show significant group differences of dynamic FC states.

conclusionsFC in cognition-related networks was altered in adults with FAS. Effects were widely distributed across networks, potentially reflecting the diversity of cognitive deficits in FAS. However, no altered single connections could be determined in the most detailed analysis level. Findings were pronounced in networks in line with attentional deficits previously reported.

Indexed as

ConnectomeFetal Alcohol Spectrum DisordersPrenatal Exposure Delayed EffectsAdolescentAdultBrainChildCognitionCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingPregnancyYoung AdultConnectivityExecutive functionsFetal alcohol syndromeHigher criticismPrenatal alcoholResting-state fMRI

Identifiers

PMID38093292
PMCPMC10720228
OpenAlexW4389670689

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.