How a mother's diabetes affects a baby's early brain development
Effects of Maternal Diabetes on early brain development
Researchers will use brain MRI scans to compare early brain growth in babies born to mothers with diabetes versus those without.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Southern California NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, UNITED STATES) |
| Project ID | NIH-11290391 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project follows infants and toddlers during the first 1,000 days to see how exposure to maternal diabetes in pregnancy relates to brain development. We will use both structural and functional MRI together with developmental neuroscience methods to look for differences in brain size, structure, and activity. The team will compare children whose mothers had diabetes during pregnancy with children born to mothers without diabetes, and they will account for maternal obesity. Results aim to connect early brain changes with later risk for childhood obesity and related health problems.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are infants and very young children (particularly during pregnancy through about two years of age) whose mothers did or did not have diabetes during pregnancy.
Not a fit: People outside the early-childhood age window or not born to mothers with diabetes are unlikely to receive direct benefits from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could help doctors identify early brain changes linked to maternal diabetes and guide interventions to reduce childhood obesity risk.
How similar studies have performed: Previous research has suggested links between maternal diabetes and child obesity, but few studies have used multimodal MRI in the first 1,000 days, so this approach is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Los Angeles, UNITED STATES
- University of Southern California — Los Angeles, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Luo, Shan — University of Southern California
- Study coordinator: Luo, Shan
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.