# Development of Reward Processing in prenatally exposed adolescents and young adults

> **NIH NIH K01** · YALE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $181,429

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Addiction is a major health concern, and one of the most pressing issues is how it develops. Emerging
adulthood is a high-risk life stage where drug use is initiated and often becomes more severe. Prenatal
exposure to cocaine is associated with higher risk-taking behavior as well, and the potential mechanisms of
this heightened risk deserve examination. Reward processing is an important factor that is associated with
addiction, and in adults, dysregulation of reward contributes to persistent drug abuse. In this application, I
propose to examine reward processing in prenatally exposed emerging adults in a longitudinal design. This
cohort will be drawn from a pre-existing cohort of individuals recruited as part of an already existing study, and
who have been followed since birth. I will measure reward processing in two temporally close testing sessions
involving two methodologies, electrophysiology and fMRI. I will also collect information about experimental and
problematic drug use, as well as information about mood, at the recording sessions. Drug use and mood
information will then be collected once again in quarterly follow-up sessions for one year. The goal is to
examine if PCE status and reward processing are risk factors for problematic drug abuse and risky behaviors
in emerging adulthood, and if these factors interact to increase such risk.
The training plan for the applicant will focus on three major goals. The first is increasing understanding of how
drug use develops in an emerging adult population. The second is enhancing the applicant's training in fMRI
techniques, including developing fMRI tasks and in analyzing fMRI data using GLM-based approaches, as well
as combining ERP and fMRI data for a comprehensive examination of the temporal and spatial aspects of
reward processing. The third is in developing longitudinal analysis techniques and developing skills to conduct
longitudinal analyses. This approach will complement the training the applicant has received during her
graduate training and will position the applicant to become an independent researcher with a strong
background in both fMRI and longitudinal research techniques as applied to the study of addictions.
The proposed training and research plan are greatly enhanced by the interdisciplinary and intellectually
rigorous environment provided by the schools (Yale School of Medicine, Faculty of Arts and Sciences),
departments (Psychiatry, Diagnostic Radiology, Child Study Center and Neuroscience), and divisions
(Magnetic Resonance Research Center, Division of Substance Abuse Research) at Yale University.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9982287
- **Project number:** 5K01DA042937-04
- **Recipient organization:** YALE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Kristen Paula Morie
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $181,429
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-09-15 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9982287

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9982287, Development of Reward Processing in prenatally exposed adolescents and young adults (5K01DA042937-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9982287. Licensed CC0.

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