# A Multisite Study of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure: Effects of Inflammation and Endocrine Dysfunction in Adulthood

> **NIH NIH U01** · EMORY UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $525,961

## Abstract

Although the impact of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) on early development has been well established,
the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) hypothesis suggests there may be longer-
term consequences that increase the risk for adult diseases or disorders. Previously, it has been difficult
to isolate the effects of PAE from those associated with other life experiences in affected individuals so
that, often, the role of PAE may be overlooked. In fact, viewed from this context, PAE may be considered
the first in a series of adverse exposures that result, eventually, in a higher risk for negative outcomes in
this vulnerable population. Programing of fetal systems by PAE may alter the developmental trajectory
and result in a sensitized organism that is vulnerable to later life challenges. The endocrine and immune
systems have been found to be highly susceptible to programming by early life events, and together are
thought to play key roles in linking early life adverse exposures with long-term health and functional
outcomes. Thus, programming of these systems may be one mechanism by which PAE impacts adult
health and neurobehavioral outcomes. In our ongoing CIFASD4 research negative impacts of PAE on
physical and mental health outcomes in midlife were observed and attributable to both PAE and to
associated early life adversity and social factors. Also noted were long-lasting, adverse changes in
immune function, with inflammation starting in infancy and lasting into adulthood, suggesting an
increased inflammatory burden over the life course. In the proposed study, we will test a “multiple hit”
hypothesis that PAE results in a vulnerable organism that may be further impacted by social adversity
and lack of resources/coping skills, resulting in immune and endocrine dysregulation that in turn, may be
key drivers of early-onset health and neurobehavioral problems over the life course. 360 individuals
representing a diverse sample of affected individuals from three sites, Atlanta, Seattle, and Canada, will
participate in a quasi-experimental study of PAE effects in midlife. In addition to measuring PAE/FASD
and environmental conditions, we will use state-of-the-art methodologies to identify biomarkers
(inflammatory, angiogenesis, vascular injury, metabolic, and neurodegenerative markers, transcriptional
profiling of individual cells, and telomere length) of early-onset functional deficits including both physical
and mental health. Specifically, within the context of the negative effects of social adversity and the
positive influences of social resources and coping skills, we will evaluate: Aim 1. the role of immune and
endocrine dysregulation in physical and mental health outcomes in adults with FASD/PAE; Aim 2 the
impact of PAE and the possible role of PAE-induced immune and endocrine dysregulation on
neurocognitive performance and markers of early-onset functional deficits in adults with FASD/PAE in
comparison to age-matched controls and...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10470581
- **Project number:** 2U01AA026108-06
- **Recipient organization:** EMORY UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Claire D. Coles
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $525,961
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2022-08-12 → 2027-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10470581

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10470581, A Multisite Study of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure: Effects of Inflammation and Endocrine Dysfunction in Adulthood (2U01AA026108-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10470581. Licensed CC0.

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