Enhanced Outcomes for Infants and Children Exposed to Opioids

The Helping to End Addiction Long-term^® Initiative, or NIH HEAL Initiative^®, supports an expansion of the Advancing Clinical Trials in Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (ACT NOW) study. ACT NOW aims to inform clinical care for infants born with opioid withdrawal syndrome. In this phase, ACT NOW will conduct clinical trials to determine best clinical practices. This includes assessing both drug-free treatment approaches and currently used medications. 

The HEALthy Brain and Child Development Study will establish a large cohort of pregnant women from regions of the country significantly affected by the opioid crisis. The study will follow them and their children for at least 10 years. Understanding changes in brain and behavioral development resulting from early exposure to opioids will inform precision prevention for substance use disorders and mental illness.

The Biology of Opioid Exposure During Pregnancy and Effects on Early Neuro-Behavioral Development program supports studies using human and animal models to examine how opioid exposure during pregnancy affects development of the placenta and fetal brain. The research will use cutting-edge technologies as well as longitudinal studies.

Because infants grow and develop rapidly, their brains are susceptible to outside influences, including drug exposure. Such effects are difficult to measure in traditional clinical visits. The Virtual Assessments to Understand Developmental Trajectories of Substance Use Exposure program develops and validates novel technologies that allow monitoring of cognitive development during infancy and early childhood in naturalistic, family settings. This research will benefit infants and families from historically underserved communities, including those living in rural areas.