Prenatal Lithium Exposure and Autism Risk in Children
Official title: Prenatal Exposure to Lithium and Autism Spectrum Disorder
Funded at Baylor University · NIH-11284736 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether exposure to lithium before birth may influence a child’s risk for autism through thyroid problems during pregnancy.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Baylor University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Waco, United States) |
| Project start | May 14, 2026 |
| Project end | May 13, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $467,368 |
| NIH project number | 1R21ES038322-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11284736 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are pregnant people and their children who are or may be at risk for autism, enrolled in the MARBLES or similar ASD risk studies, with available maternal thyroid and lithium exposure data.
✕Less likely to help
Pregnant individuals without access to the participating cohorts or without maternal thyroid data may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
If your child’s exposure to lithium while in the womb could affect autism risk, this study will measure lithium levels in pregnancy and examine thyroid function in mothers. Researchers will use existing ASD cohorts to connect prenatal lithium exposure with maternal thyroid health and child autism outcomes. The team will combine biosamples and pregnancy data to explore a potential biological pathway from exposure to autism. The goal is to understand whether environmental lithium exposure contributes to autism risk and to identify potential maternal health factors that could be monitored during pregnancy.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, findings could inform guidance for pregnant people on environmental lithium exposure and thyroid health to support healthier child development.
How similar studies have gone: Prior case-control studies exist, but direct exposure measurement during pregnancy and a thyroid-mediated pathway to autism are novel here.
Where this research is happening
-
Baylor University
Waco, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Shin, Hyeong-Moo — Baylor University
- Study coordinator: Shin, Hyeong-Moo
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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.