How prenatal disruption of day–night cycles may raise risk for later substance use
Official title: Investigating the long-term effects of prenatal circadian rhythm disruption on substance use-related disorders
Funded at University of Toledo Health Sci Campus · NIH-11295448 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tests whether being exposed before birth to disrupted day–night cycles makes people more likely to develop substance use or mood problems as they grow up.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Toledo Health Sci Campus NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Toledo, United States) |
| Project start | February 15, 2022 |
| Project end | January 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $247,843 |
| NIH project number | 5R00DA055064-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11295448 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants would include pregnant people who work nonstandard shifts (evening, night, or rotating) or adults whose mothers did so while pregnant.
✕Less likely to help
People whose substance use or mood problems are clearly driven by unrelated causes (for example, trauma or other medical conditions) may not see direct benefit from this line of work.
What this research studies
Researchers use a mouse model that mimics pregnant people working night or rotating shifts by changing light/dark cycles during pregnancy, then follow the offspring into adulthood to measure anxiety-like behavior and substance use–related outcomes. They compare offspring from disrupted and normal prenatal light schedules and examine biological changes that might explain increased risk. The team uses these animal results alongside existing human observations about shift-working parents and their children to make findings more relevant to people. The goal is to find clues that could help identify at-risk children or suggest ways to reduce long-term risk tied to prenatal schedule disruption.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify people exposed before birth who are at higher risk and point to schedule- or sleep-based ways to lower future substance use and mood problems.
How similar studies have gone: Animal studies have consistently shown that prenatal circadian disruption affects offspring behavior, and human observational studies suggest links, but causal prevention strategies in people remain novel.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Toledo Health Sci Campus
Toledo, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Depoy, Lauren Marie — University of Toledo Health Sci Campus
- Study coordinator: Depoy, Lauren Marie
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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.