Italian Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: cognitive and behavioral deficits

Fetal alcohol spectrum disor- ders (FASDs) refer to a group of clinical conditions that occur in a person exposed to alcohol before birth. Neuroimaging shows abnormalities in brain structure, cortical development, white matter micro- structure, and functional connectivity in individuals with FASD. These abnormalities modify the normal developmental trajectories resulting in deficits in cog- nition and behavior across several domains, including general intelligence, memory, language, attention, learning, visuospatial abilities, executive functioning, fine and gross motor skills, and social and adaptive functioning. This paper provides a review of the cog- nitive and behavioral outcomes of prenatal alcohol exposure. Updates data on FASD-specific neurobe- havioral profile and its potential as a diagnostic tool will then be presented.