How early-life stress may lead to substance problems in teens
Effects of Early Life Adversity on Substance Use Problems in Adolescents: Biobehavioral Risk Mechanisms
This project looks at whether childhood adversity and related inflammation help explain why some adolescents start using drugs and develop substance use problems.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California-Irvine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Irvine, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11083722 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a patient's point of view, researchers will follow adolescents to link early-life stress, changes in immune signals, and behaviors tied to drug use. They will collect health information, take biological samples that measure inflammation, and measure emotional and reward-related responses. The team will examine whether these biological and behavioral signs predict earlier or more severe substance use. The work aims to find early warning signs during the teen years when prevention might be most helpful.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adolescents (roughly ages 12–20) who experienced early-life adversity or trauma, with or without current substance use.
Not a fit: People without a history of early-life adversity or those who are well past adolescence may not directly benefit from this particular work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the project could reveal early biological markers to identify teens at higher risk and point to new prevention or treatment strategies.
How similar studies have performed: Previous studies measured general inflammation in young people, but this specific neuroimmune link to adolescent substance use has not yet been directly tested.
Where this research is happening
Irvine, United States
- University of California-Irvine — Irvine, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Rao, Uma — University of California-Irvine
- Study coordinator: Rao, Uma
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.