# Understanding neurophysiological deficits in response inhibition in children with FASD

> **NIH NIH P50** · UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO HEALTH SCIS CTR · 2021 · $206,822

## Abstract

Abstract
Recognition of subtle signs of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder has increased the estimated prevalence rate to
between 2-5% of school-aged children. While the neurocognitive profile of FASD has been characterized, the
underlying mechanisms that lead to these neurocognitive deficits are still poorly understood. Poor inhibitory
functioning is one of the executive function impairments identified in children with FASD and likely is related to
many of the secondary deficits experienced by individuals with FASD including increased rates of addictions,
incarceration and susceptibility to other neuropsychiatric disorders. Therefore, understanding the underlying
brain mechanisms that lead to impaired inhibitory functioning in early elementary age children is important to
guide development of intervention approaches. In other clinical populations altered functional network
connectivity assessed with fMRI is associated with poor inhibitory functioning. Another large body of work
originating largely from EEG indicates that neural oscillations play a key role in cognitive control and mediating
inhibitory responses. By using MEG we will extend these prior EEG results to the FASD population through
identifying the cortical source location and timing of evoked activity and examining resting network connectivity
at the source level. Using the high temporal resolution of MEG, we will capture both resting neural oscillations,
resting brain connectivity, and task evoked neural oscillations related to both successful and unsuccessful
inhibition during a child-friendly Go/No-Go task. This project period will examine younger children in the 6-8
year age range and focus on neural oscillations using MEG and functional network connectivity using both
MEG and fMRI. Aim 1 will use MEG to examine event-related responses, including averaged evoked response
and task-evoked neural oscillations during the Go/No-Go task. This aim will, in part, replicate the averaged
evoked response results obtained in the current project period in a younger independent cohort and will extend
the prior project period aim by examining task-evoked neural oscillations allowing us to capture theta and beta
oscillations related to cognitive control. Aim 2 will examine resting neural oscillations and resting functional
network connectivity using both MEG and fMRI. Recent results indicate that resting functional network
connectivity patterns differ by clinical disorders. Aim 3 will examine this question directly by linking the results
from Aim 1 and Aim 2 as well as behavioral measures of inhibitory functioning in these children to determine
what functional brain measures predict inhibitory functioning in children with FASD and healthy controls.
Project 5 is complementary to each of the other projects in this center grant with neural oscillations in mouse
and rat models examined in Projects 3&4. Furthermore, autonomic nervous system response will be assessed
through heart rate variability in sup...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10207337
- **Project number:** 5P50AA022534-08
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO HEALTH SCIS CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** JULIA MARIE STEPHEN
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $206,822
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2014-08-05 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10207337

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10207337, Understanding neurophysiological deficits in response inhibition in children with FASD (5P50AA022534-08). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10207337. Licensed CC0.

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