Including 26 hospitals, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH)-sponsored study will recruit a cohort of pregnant women from regions of the U.S. significantly affected by the opioid crisis and follow them and their children. SyMRI will be used to collect quantitative imaging data from the children, beginning at birth and continuing for at least 10 years, according to the company.

The goal of the study is to help understand childhood brain development and the long-term impact of the environment in which the development is occurring, including exposure to potentially harmful substances and mediating factors such as poverty, access to healthcare, and other social determinants of health, SyntheticMR said.