Acerca de

EMBRACE

Epigenetics of Mother-Baby Reactivity and Childhood Experiences

Purpose

PI Ciciolla will lead a strong multidisciplinary team supported by CIRCA’s Cores and partnerships with local OB-GYN clinics to examine perinatal and intergenerational epigenetic pathways to understand the impact of mACEs and mAttach on stress reactivity in early infancy. The proposed research will help clarify how adversity is transmitted intergenerationally, linking genes, experiences, and developmental timing to differential lifelong outcomes and intergenerational health. This work is a critical step toward our long-term goal of reducing the harms of ACES by identifying novel, precise, and high impact targets for intervention in mothers and infants.

Procedures

PLACE HOLDER FROM SLMBR

This study involves 3 visits:

30 weeks pregnant

You will complete an enrollment survey online and learn how to keep a sleep diary to track your sleep. After the discussing study procedures with one of our team members, you will fill out the sleep diary everyday for 4 days, which should take 15 minutes or less each time. We also might ask you to track you and your baby's sleep using devices that we provide. Our team would be looking at how your sleep diaries align with the data from the sleep tracking devices.

6 weeks postpartum

At 6 weeks postpartum, you will complete a shorter follow-up survey online and have your blood drawn. At the visit, we will collect 12ml or about 2.5 teaspoons of blood drawn from your arm. We need to collect your blood because we are looking at levels of inflammation and immune function to understand the effects of stress on your body, which can affect your sleep, your mood, and your baby’s health.

We will try to coordinate this visit with your follow-up appointment with your OB-GYN, or we will meet you at your home and have trained staff draw your blood.

16 weeks postpartum

You will complete another follow-up survey online, review the sleep diary protocol to track your sleep, and learn how to keep a sleep diary to track your baby's sleep. Then, you will fill out the sleep diary for you and for your baby everyday for 4 days, which should take no more than 30 minutes each time. Additionally, we might have you track you and your baby's sleep with devices.

Compensation

You will receive a reloadable debit card. When you finish each part of the study, money will be loaded onto your research debit card. If you participate in all parts of the study, you will paid at the following times:

Enrollment:

$10 for completing the survey

$20 for completing the sleep diary ($5 for each day completed).

$15 for using an electronic sleep tracker.

6 weeks postpartum:

$30 for completing a short survey and blood draw.

16 weeks postpartum:

$10 for completing the survey.

$20 for completing a sleep diary for you ($5 for each day completed).

$20 for completing a sleep diary for your baby ($5 for each day completed).