Bastain Lab

Research focus

NIH R01 · 2025

Prenatal chemical exposures, childhood adversity, resilience and risk of depression

Depression is the leading cause of mental-health related morbidity worldwide and approximately 19.4 million US adults and 3.8 million US adolescents are affected annually. Emerging evidence suggests that prenatal exposure to legacy (polybrominated diphenyl ethers, PBDEs) and replacement (organophosphate esters, OPEs) flame retardant chemicals increase the risk of maternal postpartum depression and symptoms of depression in young children. Despite widespread evidence of their neurotoxic effects and endocrine disrupting potential, there are limited studies investigating impacts of PBDEs/OPEs on mental health outcomes, and there have been no studies that have investigated effects of PBDE/OPE…

From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.