Understanding how childhood experiences affect opioid use disorder
Official title: A mechanistic investigation of risk factors for opioid use disorder: Examining hippocampal-based context-dependent learning and memory associated with adverse childhood experiences
Funded at University of Michigan at Ann Arbor · NIH-11121036 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project explores how difficult childhood experiences might influence the brain's learning and memory, making some adults more likely to develop opioid use disorder.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Michigan at Ann Arbor NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ann Arbor, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $638,908 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DA056415-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11121036 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults aged 21 or older who have opioid use disorder and are currently taking buprenorphine, especially those with a history of adverse childhood experiences.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who do not have opioid use disorder or are not taking buprenorphine would not directly benefit from participating in this specific project.
What this research studies
Opioid use disorder is a serious health challenge, and we want to understand why some people develop it after using prescribed opioids. This project looks at how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) might affect a part of the brain called the hippocampus, which is important for learning and memory. We believe that ACEs can change how the hippocampus works, leading to difficulties with context processing, which in turn could increase the risk for chronic pain, opioid use, and opioid use disorder. By studying adults with opioid use disorder who are taking buprenorphine, we hope to uncover this connection.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: This work could help identify individuals at higher risk for opioid use disorder, allowing for earlier support and prevention strategies.
How similar studies have gone: This project represents the first direct examination of this specific mechanistic pathway linking adverse childhood experiences to opioid use disorder through context processing deficits.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Duval, Elizabeth — University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
- Study coordinator: Duval, Elizabeth
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Understanding how early life experiences and brain learning shape opioid risk
A research team at the University of Michigan is studying how childhood adversity and brain learning related to memory might influence the risk of developing opioid use disorder in adults who are already using prescribed opioids.
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Investigating how childhood experiences affect the risk of opioid use disorder.
This study is looking at how tough experiences in childhood might affect the way adults process situations and could lead to problems with opioid use after being prescribed painkillers, and it’s for adults who are currently getting treatment for opioid addiction.
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Optimizing long-acting PrEP and opioid treatment for people in jails and prisons
This project tests a real-world approach to using long-acting PrEP and buprenorphine for HIV prevention and opioid treatment among incarcerated individuals and after release.
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.