Feature Health & Medicine

Sobering Work

Unraveling alcohol's effects on the developing brain

By Damaris Christensen

- More than 2 years ago

At parties, young women often want to talk to James R. West. Sure, he’s a charming guy, but they especially want to talk about his work—and how it may touch them personally. The issue is potentially close at hand: West studies the effects of alcohol on a baby’s developing brain.

Arrows indicate the corpus collosum in a normal child (above) and its absence in a child with fetal alcohol syndrome (below).