Current Studies
Does stress impact melatonin signaling and sleep in pregnancy?
Description: We are interested in how stressful experiences of discrimination impact sleep in pregnancy. We closely follow pregnant people who the second trimester of their pregnancy until their children are 1 year of age. This study is completed mostly remotely and recruiting participants form the community who identify as Latinx/Hispanic/Latino.
Funding: Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons (VP&S) Grants Program for Junior Faculty Who Contribute to the Diversity Goals of the University
PI: Lugo-Candelas
Is obesity in pregnancy a risk factor for ADHD? If so, is maternal inflammation the culprit?
Description: Obesity during pregnancy could be associated with ADHD symptoms later in a child’s life. Obesity is associated with low (but persistent over time) inflammation throughout the body, which can be measured in saliva. With this in mind, we want to know whether the inflammation seen in obesity is a key piece within this puzzle. To evaluate all of this, we collect data on pregnant peoples’ body composition and monitor the development of their children by imaging the childrens’ brains when they are only a few weeks old. At two years of age, we measure ADHD-related inhibitory control (as in the ability to control impulses, such as resisting the temptation of biting into a piece of candy) through behavioral measures and interviews.
Funding: K08 MH117452
PI: Lugo-Candelas
Does cannabis use in pregnancy impact the developing fetal brain?
Description: To see how prenatal cannabis use impacts babies’ brain development, we closely follow pregnant people who do and do not consume cannabis from the beginning of their pregnancy until their children are two years of age. This study is particularly novel, as we will be imaging babies while they are still in utero. This will allow us to understand the impact of cannabis exposure in a key moment in development, when the babies have only had contact with the in-utero environment.
Funding: R01 MH119510
PIs: Lugo-Candelas, Ouellet, & Posner
How does exposure to air pollution in pregnancy shape children’s brains? Does it increase risk for ADHD?
Description: Although contact with air pollution has been associated with abnormal development of children’s brains, little is known about how this happens. Is brain development affected by contact with air pollution before or after birth? What does this different development entail? We will dive into prenatal exposure to air pollution and brain development to answer these questions. To do so, we will look into air pollution shown in existing data or detected with portable sensors, while monitoring children’s cognitive development and ADHD symptoms through brain imaging, games, and interviews during early infancy and childhood. To make sure that other factors are not influencing this relationship, we will take into consideration the pollution exposure after children are born and other important aspects, such as genetic risk for ADHD. We will also look into maternal inflammation, sleep deficits, and babies’ sex.
Funding: NIEHS R01ES032870
PI: Lugo-Candelas
How does early child adversity impact the next generation, and is perinatal sleep a potential mechanism?
Description: This study seeks to understand how adversity is transmitted across generations, seeking to identify intervenable mechanisms during pregnancy, including prenatal sleep health. We will examine how adverse experiences in childhood are related to prenatal sleep health and to early child neurodevelopment, using EEG and working with Latine communities, who may be disproportionately exposed to adversity. To do so, we will conduct a series of interviews, week-long sleep assessments, and biomarker collections with the pregnant person along with in-home infant EEG and sleep assessments.
Funding: One Mind
PI: Lugo-Candelas
How can neighborhoods and communities better support pregnancy health and well-being and the transition to parenthood?
Description: The purpose of this study is to investigate how the places we live can better support health in pregnancy and in the transition to parenthood. We want to understand how community members feel about their communities and their prenatal health. This will be done through surveys, a 1-on-1 in depth interview, and a small focus group interview throughout the perinatal period. By examining how our communities affect our health and well being, this research aims to find ways to create better support and policies for families during this important time
Funding: CaMPR-ISP Pilot Award
PI: Lugo-Candelas
How do experiences of extreme weather events impact family function and parental stress?
Description: This study focuses on understanding how extreme weather events, like hurricanes and heatwaves, might increase the risk of childhood adversity. We are using a new mobile technology called mobile ecological momentary assessment (mEMA) to track parenting behaviors and stress levels in real time during and after extreme weather events to understand how changing family dynamics may lead to risk for ACEs.
Funding: SPIRIT initiative and the NIEHS Center for Environmental Health and Justice in Northern Manhattan
PI: Lugo-Candelas