This article explores new research on how alcohol exposure before birth affects the brain in hidden ways. A study involving rhesus monkeys found that prenatal alcohol exposure actually reshaped the brain's dopamine system, which is the network responsible for feelings of reward and pleasure.

These early brain changes predicted that the offspring would drink alcohol more quickly once they reached adulthood. The study also discovered that drinking later in life caused even more unique, individual changes to the dopamine system. According to the researchers, these findings reinforce the warning that drinking during pregnancy is not safe.