# UAB Outcomes of Babies with Opioid Exposure (OBOE study)

> **NIH NIH RL1** · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · 2020 · $1

## Abstract

Rates of opioid use during pregnancy are at epidemic proportions. Neuroimaging suggests potential 
adverse effects of opioids on the developing brain. Children exposed to opioids in utero can have 
behavioral problems and lower school achievement and are also often exposed to toxic stress, 
maternal depression, and adverse home environments. It is important to determine the relative 
impacts of multiple adverse exposures and identify potentially modifiable factors. Our consortium, 
comprised of 4 highly performing centers of the NICHD Neonatal Research Network (NRN), 
proposes the Outcomes of Babies with Opioid Exposure (OBOE) study to quantify effects 
of prenatal opioid exposure on the trajectory of brain development, determine 
associations of neuroimaging parameters with developmental and behavioral outcomes, and 
examine how specific factors (differing substance exposures, severity of neonatal opioid 
withdrawal, maternal stress/ depression/ parenting) modify these effects. We hypothesize that 
neural connectivity and neuroanatomical volumes are altered by prenatal opioid exposure and that 
the magnitude of these alterations correlate with developmental and behavioral outcomes. To test 
this hypothesis, the consortium will enroll 200 opioid exposed infants and 75 healthy 
appropriately matched controls in a longitudinal cohort study. We anticipate enrolling 
approximately 75 infants (55 opioid exposed and 20 controls) in our clinical site at the 
University of Alabama at Birmingham. The Specific Aims are:
Specific Aim 1: To determine the impact of prenatal opioid exposure on brain structure 
 and connectivity over the first two years of life.
Specific Aim 2: To define medical, developmental, and behavioral trajectories over the first 2 
years of life in infants exposed to opioids.
Specific Aim 3: To determine how the home environment, maternal mental health, and 
parenting modify trajectories of brain connectivity and neurodevelopment over the first two years 
of life.
Our clinical site at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is a Regional Perinatal Center 
that can enroll a large cohort of newborn infants both exposed and non-exposed to opioids in utero. 
A particular strength of UAB is the comprehensive addiction in pregnancy program (CAPP) that 
facilitates enrollment. As a participating center in the NICHD Neonatal Research Network, UAB has 
long-standing established and highly productive collaborations both with the other clinical centers 
in this application, and with the Administrative and Research Support Core at RTI International. 
Our center has an excellent track record of enrollment of high-risk infants in clinical studies 
with successful participant retention and follow-up to 2 years of age and beyond, with trained 
certified examiners for neurodevelopment as well as pediatric neuroradiologists and 
established infrastructure for neonatal and infant cranial magnetic resonance imaging.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10141375
- **Project number:** 1RL1HD104251-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
- **Principal Investigator:** Namasivayam Ambalavanan
- **Activity code:** RL1 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $1
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2019-10-01 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10141375

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10141375, UAB Outcomes of Babies with Opioid Exposure (OBOE study) (1RL1HD104251-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10141375. Licensed CC0.

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