Biomedical Engineering ETDs

Publication Date

Spring 5-16-2026

Abstract

The developing brain is highly susceptible to alcohol-induced toxicity, often resulting in long-term deficits in executive function and behavioral regulation. Inhibitory control impairments are among the most prominent deficits observed in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). This study investigated the neural mechanisms of inhibitory dysfunction using a multimodal MEG–DTI approach in 67 children aged 6–8 years (34 with FASD, 33 controls) who performed a Go/No-Go task. Source-level MEG analyses revealed reduced stimulus-locked cortical activation in the anterior cingulate cortex and significant group-by-hemisphere interactions in the superior parietal cortex and cuneus. Time–frequency analyses showed diminished response-locked beta power in the sensory-motor cortex during incorrect No-Go trials in FASD. Diffusion imaging indicated reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) in the corpus callosum and basal ganglia, with FA in the basal ganglia positively correlating with beta power within the executive-motor network. These multimodal findings provide converging evidence that deficits in inhibitory control in children with FASD are underpinned by disruptions in both cortical oscillatory dynamics and subcortical white-matter integrity.

Language

English

Keywords

Neuro-developmental disorder, Neuroimaging, Magnetoencephalography, Diffusion tensor imaging, Cognition, Impulsive behavior

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Biomedical Engineering

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Biomedical Engineering

First Committee Member (Chair)

Shuang Luan, PhD

Second Committee Member

Julia M. Stephen, PhD

Third Committee Member

Jeremy Hogeveen, PhD

Fourth Committee Member

Dina Hill, PhD

Project Sponsors

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Download

Share

COinS