# Olfactory activation and brain development in infants with prenatal cannabis exposure

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · 2020 · $232,634

## Abstract

Summary
Cannabis use during pregnancy has increased substantially, in conjunction with widespread
decriminalization/legalization, changing public perceptions about harm, and evidence of cannabis's antiemetic
properties. Prior outcomes research on prenatal marijuana exposure is narrow in scope and may have limited
relevance to medicinal users, as these older studies included research participants with polysubstance use
(e.g. tobacco, alcohol, illicit drugs). In addition, prior research also likely underestimated potential risks of
cannabis use during pregnancy because modern strains are 3x more potent than they were 30 years ago. We
propose to study brain development in infants exposed in utero to cannabis using state-of-the-art MRI and
behavioral measures that we have developed in our studies of infants at high-risk for developing autism
spectrum disorder. Cutting-edge neuroimaging techniques have been shown to identify brain changes and
subtle behavioral differences before outward symptoms are visible. By focusing on infancy, we aim to
characterize cannabis-induced brain and behavioral changes while minimizing environmental effects that
contribute to outcomes at older ages. To test our hypotheses, we will recruit 35 pregnant women who are using
cannabis to alleviate morning sickness and 35 pregnant women who are using prescribed medication for
morning sickness. When infants reach 6 months of age, they will receive extensive neuropsychological
assessment and multi-modal imaging (fMRI odor task, resting state fMRI, magnetic resonance spectroscopy,
and diffusion tensor imaging) under natural sleep.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9858320
- **Project number:** 5R21DA046696-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
- **Principal Investigator:** STEPHEN R DAGER
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $232,634
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-02-01 → 2023-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9858320

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9858320, Olfactory activation and brain development in infants with prenatal cannabis exposure (5R21DA046696-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9858320. Licensed CC0.

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