Pilot Study of Prenatal Choline Supplementation

July 11, 2026 updated by: Sandra W. Jacobson, Ph.D, Wayne State University

A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-controlled Clinical Trial of Choline Supplementation During Pregnancy to Mitigate Adverse Effects of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure on Growth and Cognitive Development: Pilot Arm for Non-Drinking Women

A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial (RCT; NCT04395196) of prenatal choline supplementation is ongoing (1) to assess the effectiveness of maternal choline supplementation during pregnancy to mitigate effects of PAE on three primary outcomes: infant recognition memory and postnatal growth restriction (weight and head circumference); (2) to assess the efficacy of this supplementation for mitigating alcohol effects on the following secondary outcomes: infant eyeblink conditioning, postnatal length, and information processing speed. The study design was based on a pilot feasibility study in 70 heavy-drinking pregnant women. Infants in the choline-treated arm were more likely to meet criterion for eyeblink conditioning than those in the placebo arm. Infants born to both the choline- and placebo-treated mothers were small at birth, but those in the choline arm showed considerable catch-up growth in weight and head circumference by 6.5 months, which persisted through 12 months. At 12 months, infants in the choline arm showed markedly better recognition memory compared to placebo-treated on the Fagan Test of Infant Intelligence, which is known to have predictive validity for school-age IQ. Of note, infants with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure whose mothers were in the active choline treatment arm performed better on FTII novelty preference neurobehavioral testing than infants in an observational study that was running in parallel who had no prenatal alcohol exposure. These pilot findings indicate that any beneficial effects of prenatal choline supplementation seen may be due in part or entirely due to general beneficial effects on fetal brain development rather than mechanisms that are specific to the teratogenic effects of alcohol. Thus, the aim of this pilot study is to enroll and randomize 50 alcohol-abstaining pregnant women to participate in an identical study protocol (same study procedures and primary and secondary outcomes) to NCT04395196, which includes only alcohol-consuming pregnant women. Effect sizes between this pilot, non-drinking group and the larger study of alcohol-consuming women will be compared to explore the degree to which prenatal choline supplementation benefits growth and neurobehavior in infants without prenatal alcohol exposure and to explore the degree to which beneficial treatment effects of choline are specific to prenatal alcohol exposure.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The study protocol will be identical to NCT04395196 except for sample size (goal = 50 pregnant women and their infants) and that instead of including heavy-drinking pregnant women, inclusion criteria require that women have fully abstained from alcohol during pregnancy at the time of randomization. All other inclusion/exclusion criteria and study procedures are identical.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
50

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age ≥18 yr
  • ≤20 wk gestation
  • Singleton pregnancy
  • Abstinence from alcohol since conception (by report)
  • Current choline dietary intake <1 g/day
  • Language fluency in English or Afrikaans

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Use of methamphetamine or other illicit drugs other than marijuana during the past year
  • HIV positive
  • Pharmacologic treatment for a serious pre-existing medical condition (e.g., diabetes, hypertension, epilepsy, or cardiac problems)
  • Having another child enrolled in the trial from a previous pregnancy
  • Plans for mother or child to move away from the area prior to study completion

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Placebo Comparator: Placebo
Placebo identical to active treatment in appearance, taste, and smell.
Dietary supplement: Placebo
Provided in beverage form
Experimental: High-dose choline supplementation
2 g choline cation per day
Dietary supplement: Choline bitartrate
Provided in beverage form.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Infant recognition memory
Time Frame: 12 months
Novelty preference from the Fagan Test of Infant Intelligence
12 months
Postnatal infant weight gain
Time Frame: 6.5 months
6.5 months
Postnatal growth in infant head circumference
Time Frame: 6.5 months
6.5 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Infant information processing speed
Time Frame: 12 months
Processing speed on the Fagan Test of Infant Intelligence
12 months
Postnatal growth in infant length
Time Frame: 6.5 months
6.5 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Wayne State University

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Columbia University
University of Cape Town

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Sandra W Jacobson, PhD, Wayne State University
  • Principal Investigator: Joseph L Jacobson, PhD, Wayne State University
  • Principal Investigator: R. Colin Carter, MD, MMSc, Columbia University
  • Principal Investigator: Ernesta M Meinjtes, PhD, University of Cape Town

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
July 8, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
October 15, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 15, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
July 6, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 6, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
July 13, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
July 14, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 11, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • UCTCHOLINERCTPHASEB

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

We will share deidentified data with researchers and regulatory bodies who request the data for verification of findings, for collaboration, and/or for research purposes deemed ethical and scientifically justified by the PIs.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

We will share data as described above after publication of the main findings.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Requests should be made to the principle investigators.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ANALYTIC_CODE

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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