How pregnancy medications might affect autism, birth complications, and developmental disabilities
Prenatal medication exposure in autism, birth complications and developmental disabilities
Researchers will look at whether medicines taken during pregnancy change a child's chances of autism or other developmental problems.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11182589 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you're pregnant or planning pregnancy, this project looks at links between the medicines people take during pregnancy and later autism or developmental disabilities in children. The team will analyze health, prescription, and family records for about 1.2 million births from Israel to spot patterns by medication type, timing, and duration. They will also try to separate medication effects from other factors like illness or family history and compare findings across groups to see how general the results are. The work uses existing medical and pharmacy data rather than new drug tests on volunteers.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates would be pregnant people or those planning pregnancy, especially if they are taking prescription or over‑the‑counter medicines.
Not a fit: People whose child's condition is driven entirely by genetic factors, or those who did not take medications during pregnancy, may not see direct benefit from the study findings.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, findings could help people and clinicians make safer medication choices in pregnancy to reduce the chance of autism or developmental problems.
How similar studies have performed: Some prior work has linked a few prenatal medicines (for example valproate) to higher autism risk, but most medications remain unstudied and this large national-records approach is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Reichenberg, Abraham — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Study coordinator: Reichenberg, Abraham
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.