CNRS researchers are lifting the veil on the molecules involved in brain malformations linked to fetal alcohol syndrome, paving the way for a possible treatment.
More is now known about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), a set of physical and behavioral abnormalities that appear in children exposed to alcohol during their mother’s pregnancy. CNRS researchers have discovered the molecular mechanisms involved in these brain malformations.
Protective proteins that become toxic
The responsibles ? ” Environmental stress response factors or HSF, normally protective proteins that turn into formidable enemies, ”write the study authors in their article titled: “When the fetus toasts”.
Present in a latent state in almost all of our cells, HSF factors are able to respond to a whole series of environmental attacks (rise in temperature, presence of ethanol, heavy metals, bacterial or viral infections) . They, too, play the role of regulatory agent when young neurons migrate in successive waves across the surface of the brain to form the six layers of the cortex.
“For a neuron to function well and establish the right connections, it must be placed in the right place in the right layer of the cortex,” explains biologist Valérie Mezger.
The beneficial effects of “hacked” HSFs
However, not only does ethanol slow down and reduce the production of young neurons. But in addition, it affects their migration: some will position themselves badly and not reach the layer of the cortex that is normally assigned to them.
“It is these positioning defects that are partly responsible for the disorders caused by fetal alcoholism,” the researchers conclude. The beneficial effects of HSF factors are in a way “hacked” by alcohol and turn into toxic agents for the brain of the unborn baby.
Towards a treatment?
Such a discovery opens up new research perspectives, and in particular with a view to a possible treatment, say the authors of the study. “We can envisage therapeutic applications by identifying molecules capable of modulating the activity of HSF factors, with the hope of discovering a preventive treatment for women liable to give birth to babies suffering from disorders caused by fetal alcoholism. “
These results also confirm, if necessary, the ravages of alcohol on the fetus. More than ever, they legitimize prevention campaigns in favor of “Zero alcohol during pregnancy”. Each year in France, 8,000 children are diagnosed as carriers of disorders caused by fetal alcoholism (FASD). Among them, 800 have Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), the most serious form.
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