How maternal stress-related serotonin changes affect offspring development and stress resilience
Official title: Investigating how stress induced changes in maternal serotonin affect offspring development and stress resilience
Funded at Roswell Park Cancer Institute Corp · NIH-11325750 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work looks at whether changes in a mother's serotonin during stress can alter how her children develop and handle stress later in life.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Roswell Park Cancer Institute Corp NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Buffalo, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2022 |
| Project end | February 28, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $429,250 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MH126282-06 |
| Project ID | NIH-11325750 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People who are pregnant or planning pregnancy and who have mood disorders or who are taking SSRIs may find the study's findings especially relevant to their concerns.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without interest in pregnancy-related effects or those seeking immediate clinical treatment options are unlikely to get direct benefit from this laboratory-based project.
What this research studies
Researchers are using a simple laboratory animal (the worm C. elegans) to trace how serotonin released by stressed mothers changes the packaging of genes in eggs before fertilization. They follow molecular signals that link maternal serotonin to activation of a stress-response protein (HSF1) and recruitment of chromatin-modifying factors, with a focus on small RNA pathways. Though done in worms, the team aims to learn conserved mechanisms that could explain how maternal stress or antidepressant exposure affects brain development in offspring. These lab experiments do not enroll patients but are designed to reveal biological steps that might eventually inform human studies or interventions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could clarify how maternal stress or serotonin-targeting drugs change offspring development and point to strategies to reduce long-term risks for children.
How similar studies have gone: Previous human and animal reports suggest maternal SSRI exposure and stress can affect offspring development, but the specific molecular mechanisms being tested here are novel and largely unproven.
Where this research is happening
-
Roswell Park Cancer Institute Corp
Buffalo, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Prahlad, Veena — Roswell Park Cancer Institute Corp
- Study coordinator: Prahlad, Veena
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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.