Fetal alcohol exposure remains a leading cause of preventable neurodevelopmental disabilities. Surprisingly,only a very limited amount of information is available on effective interventions for children with fetal alcoholspectrum disorders (FASD). The long-term goal of this research is to develop and test behavioralinterventions for children with FASD within a clinical neuroscience framework. Based on the data fromanimal research, the current application proposes to assess the plasticity of the motor system in children withFASD as a function of unimanual and bimanual motor training. The main reason for targeting the motorsystem is that fine motor problems in children with FASD hamper their ability to acquire academic and lifeskills.
Specific Aims of the current research are: 1) to evaluate behavioral and electrophysiological indices ofmanual sequencing in children with FASD; and 2) to evaluate the effects of a motor training program onthese behavioral and electrophysiological indices. Twenty children with FASD and twenty healthy controls,ages 10-17, will participate in this research, which is directly linked with another proposal that is beingsubmitted under this P-20 application (Component 5). Participants will complete a neurobehavioral testbattery assessing information processing and response inhibition (antisaccades) in Component 5 research,and tests of motor sequencing in the current project. High-density 128 channel EEG will be recorded duringperformance of a motor sequencing task. Following this initial assessment, the FASD group will receive astructured motor sequencing training program. Training-induced changes will be assessed with high-densityEEG and behavioral measures. The health-relatedness of this project is that it may provide rich informationpertaining to the training-induced changes in the motor system both at neural and behavioral level. It ispossible that changes will be discernable with EEG in the absence of behavioral changes. This will allow theclinician to adjust the dose of treatment. Moreover, information from Component 5 will be used to assess ifattentional processes predict motor skills learning. The finding of an association between attentionalprocesses and motor skills learning will have implications for the development of future motor skills trainingprograms for children with FASD.
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