Environmental Mixtures, Cognitive Control and Reward Processes, and Risk for Psychiatric Problems in Adolescence

This study aims to examine the cognitive and neural pathways underlying the joint impact of chemical and social exposures on two aspects of cognitive function: cognitive control and reward processing. The investigators will use high resolution, multi-band resting state and task functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) as well as neuromelanin stain MRI to identify pathways through which exposure to a mixture of prenatal chemical and early life social exposures alters brain function and behavior. Specifically, the investigators will leverage extant prenatal exposure data (N=550) from the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH) Mothers and Newborns (MN) birth cohort and study symptoms and brain function in adolescence.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Psychiatric Problem

Detailed Description

Adolescence is a period of high risk for the emergence of psychiatric issues, particularly attention problems, substance abuse, and psychotic experiences. Risk for these problems likely originates in the prenatal period when the brain undergoes significant rapid change, making this a particularly vulnerable time for alterations in brain development. Few studies have examined risk from prenatal exposure to neurotoxicants that emerge in adolescence and the biological pathways that underlie these associations. Emerging findings suggest that prenatal exposure to environmental chemicals (e.g. environmental tobacco smoke [ETS], air pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [PAH]) is associated with behavioral symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), substance use disorders (SUD), and psychotic disorders (PD). These symptoms often emerge across adolescence, and frequently co-occur, suggesting shared underlying causes in the brain. Prenatal chemical exposures often co-occur with each other and with social exposures, such as early life stress (ELS) that are also associated with elevated behavioral symptoms. The joint contributions of these chemical and social exposures to these behavioral symptoms are understudied, as are the cognitive and neural pathways linking exposure to behavior.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 250

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Amy Margolis, PhD; Phone Number: 3472767256; Email: amy.margolis@osumc.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • New York
    • New York, New York, United States, 10032
      • Recruiting
      • Columbia University Irving Medical Center
      • Contact: Julie Herbstman, PhD; Email: jh2678@cumc.columbia.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 15 years to 23 years (Child, Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The current proposed study is funded to conduct resting state and task fMRI and assessment of psychiatric symptoms in 250 adolescents in the Mothers and Newborns birth cohort. Prenatal exposure data will be leveraged from the CCCEH database.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Participation in either the Mothers and Newborns or Sibling/Hermanos Cohort
• Available prenatal exposure data leveraged from the CCCEH database
• Ability of subject or parent to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document.
• For children, informed assent and parental informed consent to participate in the study
• Males and females; Age 15-23 years old
• Adolescents and parents must be English- or Spanish-speaking

Exclusion Criteria:

• Contraindication for MRI as determined by institutionally approved MRI screening questionnaire

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: COHORT
• Time Perspectives: PROSPECTIVE

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Adolescents from the Mothers and Newborns Cohort

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Youth Self Report (YSR) from the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL)	This is a 112-question scale for adolescents about their own behavioral functioning. It has a Likert-like scoring format and multiple syndrome and DSM-oriented scales, with higher scores indicating more symptoms. Raw scores are converted to T scores with a mean of 50 and standard deviation of 10. The range is 0 to 90.	15 minutes during study visit

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Ohio State University
• Collaborators: Columbia University; National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Amy Margolis, PhD, Ohio State University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Benavides J, Cohen JW, Chillrud LG, Cohen G, DeSerisy M, Ramphal B, Goldsmith J, Kioumourtzoglou MA, Margolis AE. Prenatal environmental risk for adolescent attention, thought, and substance use problems: A mixtures approach to coexposure and psychiatric comorbidities. Environ Epidemiol. 2025 Sep 5;9(5):e417. doi: 10.1097/EE9.0000000000000417. eCollection 2025 Oct.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 20, 2022
• Primary Completion (Estimated): May 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 21, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 21, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): April 3, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 3, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 30, 2026
• Last Verified: October 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Cognitive function; Cognitive Control; Reward Processing; Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
• Other Study ID Numbers: AAAU9473; 8191 (Other Identifier: New York State Psychiatric Institute Institutional Review Board); 5R01ES032296-03 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES

IPD Plan Description

De-identified data will be shared upon written request.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No