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Influences of Developmental Exposures Across the Lifespan
OUR PRIMARY RESEARCH QUESTIONS
OUR PRIMARY RESEARCH QUESTIONS
How do prenatal alcohol and cannabinoid co-exposures shape later brain and behavioral outcomes?
How do prenatal alcohol and cannabinoid co-exposures shape later brain and behavioral outcomes?
Why this matters: Alcohol and cannabinoids are often co-used by people of child-bearing age, increasing the risk that exposures can happen together during pregnancy. Currently, most developmental research examines these exposures separately. Determining whether co-exposure produces distinct or interactive effects is necessary to identify outcomes that single-substance studies may miss, and to inform more catered interventions for exposed people.
How do maternal, paternal, and coparental alcohol exposures influence offspring development?
How do maternal, paternal, and coparental alcohol exposures influence offspring development?
Why this matters: Research on alcohol exposure around conception has historically centered on maternal drinking, leaving paternal and dual-parent exposures comparatively understudied. Since partners can influence one another’s alcohol use and develop more similar drinking patterns over time, maternal and paternal preconception exposure may often occur together rather than in isolation. Comparing maternal, paternal, and dual-parent exposures allows us to determine whether parental alcohol use and shared exposure context produce distinct or overlapping effects on offspring neurodevelopment, synaptic function, and later behavior.
Which findings converge across experimental models and existing human datasets?
Which findings converge across experimental models and existing human datasets?
Why this matters: Preclinical (non-human) models allow us to control when exposure occurs, whether substances are experienced alone or in combination, and whether exposure involves the mother, father, or both parents. This helps us test how specific exposure conditions contribute to later changes in brain biology and behavior. Findings that then converge across preclinical models and human populations can help us refine our experiments and prioritize biological pathways and behavioral outcomes for future assessment, prevention, and intervention research.
MEET DR. SIARA ROUZER
MEET DR. SIARA ROUZER
As an Assistant Professor in Psychological and Brain Sciences at Texas A&M University, Dr. Siara Rouzer is establishing the IDEAL Lab to study how experiences before conception and during development can shape health across the lifespan. Her path as a first-generation scientist inspired her approach to mentorship, including a commitment to making scientific training more dynamic, navigable, and responsive to each trainee’s goals. She also works to bring research beyond the laboratory through public engagement and communication that is accurate, accessible, and free of stigma.
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