How prenatal alcohol exposure affects children's brain development and thinking
Official title: Brain and Cognitive Development in the PASS Cohort: The Impact of PrenatalAlcohol Exposure
Funded at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles · NIH-11378222 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how drinking during pregnancy relates to brain scans, thinking skills, and facial features in children and teens from the PASS birth cohort.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Children's Hospital of Los Angeles NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2017 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $179,155 |
| NIH project number | 3R01AA025653-08S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11378222 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are children and adolescents (about 8–17 years old) from the PASS cohort whose mothers reported drinking during pregnancy, including both previously studied kids and newly recruited youth, with non-exposed controls also included.
✕Less likely to help
Pregnant people, adults without relevant prenatal exposure history, or children outside the PASS cohort and age range would not be eligible and likely would not directly benefit from participating.
What this research studies
Younger participants from the PASS birth cohort in South Africa who were previously studied and new participants will be invited for brain MRI scans, cognitive testing, and facial imaging. The team will oversample children whose mothers reported higher amounts of alcohol use during pregnancy to cover a wide range of exposure. About half of the earlier-scanned children will return for follow-up so researchers can see changes across adolescence (roughly ages 8–17). Findings will compare children with prenatal alcohol exposure to non-exposed peers to better understand links between exposure, brain development, thinking skills, and facial measures.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify how prenatal alcohol exposure changes brain development and point to earlier detection and better support for affected children.
How similar studies have gone: Previous neuroimaging work by this team and others has linked prenatal alcohol exposure to brain and cognitive differences, but expanding to higher exposure levels and following adolescents over time adds new, less-tested information.
Where this research is happening
-
Children's Hospital of Los Angeles
Los Angeles, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sowell, Elizabeth R — Children's Hospital of Los Angeles
- Study coordinator: Sowell, Elizabeth R
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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.