# 4/5 The Cumulative Risk of Substance Exposure and Early Life Adversity on Child Health Development and Outcomes

> **NIH NIH R34** · BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL · 2020 · $196,414

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Beyond the grave health threats posed by COVID-19, this world-wide pandemic has also dramatically
increased psychological distress among much of the population. For those particularly vulnerable to
stress-related disorders, COVID-19 represents an unprecedented challenge. Individuals both directly
and indirectly affected by the virus are forced to navigate through a range of hardships, including social
isolation, financial insecurity, and uncertainty about the health and safety of self and loved ones. High
on the list of psychologically vulnerable groups are pregnant women. Psychological distress may be
compounded both by the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19's vertical transmission and by the potential
effects of maternal distress on fetal brain development.
Numerous studies have reported strong associations between maternal stress during pregnancy and
disruptions in child development. The effects of maternal psychological stressors on fetal and infant
development have been demonstrated across multiple levels, including disrupted fetal brain maturation,
alterations in miRNA expression and DNA methylation, and increased risks for altered developmental
outcomes and neuropsychiatric disorders (Babenko, 2015; Bick & Nelson, 2016; Hackman et al., 2010;
Nelson, 2020; Lupien et al., 2019; McEwen, 2012, 2017; Vanderberg et al., 2017; Laplante et al., 2015;
Wu et al., 2020). Previous work supports that mothers who experienced either a bacterial or viral
infection and elevated stress during pregnancy were more likely to have an adolescent child diagnosed
with depression (Murphy et al., 2017). Similarly, children exposed to a prenatal infection of the 2001
H1N1 virus displayed slightly delayed development (Borren et al, 2018).With these findings in mind, it is
critical to determine the extent to which a COVID-19 exposure and related prenatal stress affects infant
development in order to provide appropriate treatment and interventions.
At Boston Children's Hospital, we are in the unique position to build on our current funding (R34
DA050289) to study infants born to COVID-19-positive women. Among our Boston-based collaborative
group, we estimate that over the next 6 months we should be able to enroll 75 pregnant women, limiting
ourselves to just one Harvard-affiliated hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH). Our plan is to
administer a number of questionnaires to these women prior to giving birth. At birth, we will work with
the OB team to decide which mothers to approach about seeking consent to perform an MRI on their
newborns, as well as 2 follow up visits to the PI's lab at Boston Children's Hospital.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10170530
- **Project number:** 3R34DA050289-01S2
- **Recipient organization:** BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** CHARLES Alexander NELSON
- **Activity code:** R34 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $196,414
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2019-09-30 → 2021-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10170530

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10170530, 4/5 The Cumulative Risk of Substance Exposure and Early Life Adversity on Child Health Development and Outcomes (3R34DA050289-01S2). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10170530. Licensed CC0.

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