Impact of prenatal alcohol exposure and placental blood flow problems on brain function in children and teens
Official title: Consequences of combined prenatal alcohol exposure and acute placental ischemia on frontal cortical-sensitive behavior, structure, and physiology in juvenile offspring
Funded at University of New Mexico Health Scis Ctr · NIH-11392424 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study looks at how moderate prenatal alcohol exposure plus placental problems affect attention and brain structure in youngsters.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Career grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of New Mexico Health Scis Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Albuquerque, United States) |
| Project start | August 10, 2022 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $193,699 |
| NIH project number | 5K08AA030080-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11392424 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are children and adolescents with known or suspected prenatal alcohol exposure and/or histories suggestive of placental insufficiency.
✕Less likely to help
Children without prenatal alcohol exposure or placental complications may have limited direct benefit from this specific study.
What this research studies
This project follows children and youth to understand how being exposed to alcohol before birth and having placental insufficiency together influence behavior and brain health. Researchers will use parental information, developmental testing, and brain imaging to compare groups with different exposure histories. The study plans to examine attention and response control using age-appropriate tasks and to explore brain structure changes associated with these conditions. By focusing on the frontal brain areas, the work aims to identify indicators that could guide early interventions and support.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to earlier identification of at-risk children and inform targeted strategies to support attention and cognitive development.
How similar studies have gone: Similar studies have shown that combined prenatal exposures can compound neurodevelopmental impacts, but this specific combination is less well understood.
Where this research is happening
-
University of New Mexico Health Scis Ctr
Albuquerque, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Maxwell, Jessie R. — University of New Mexico Health Scis Ctr
- Study coordinator: Maxwell, Jessie R.
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.