James Sanders

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Biography:

Dr. James Sanders, RPsych, is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Lethbridge. A psychologist by training, Dr. Sanders maintains a research program on the assessment and diagnosis of mental health and addictive disorders, including neurodevelopmental disorders and behavioural addictions.

Node Funded Project (Oct 2025)

Title: Prenatal Tobacco/Cannabis Exposure Plus Alcohol: Neurodevelopmental and Substance-Related Outcomes

Principal Investigators: James Sanders

Co-investigators/collaborators: Chiedozie Alumona, Nicole Netelenbos , Dr. Debbie Deak

Description:

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a lifelong developmental disorder caused by prenatal alcohol exposure. Other substances including tobacco and cannabis are associated with increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes such as prematurity, but there are no direct associations between prenatal exposure and neurodevelopmental effects. Some research suggests an increased risk of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in the presence of combined substance exposure compared to a single substance, but the impact of multi-drug exposure on FASD diagnosis and neurodevelopmental outcomes (i.e. executive functioning [EF]) are not known.

The purpose of this project is to differentiate outcomes in neurodevelopment (children and adults) and substance use (adults) between prenatal alcohol-only exposure and alcohol plus tobacco/cannabis exposure. To achieve this goal, we will record the following variables from agency intake files into an existing FASD database; 1) prenatal tobacco and cannabis exposure (whole sample), and 2) client tobacco/cannabis use, and substance use disorder (adults 16+). We will analyze the data to answer the following research questions:

  1. Compared to prenatal alcohol-only, is alcohol plus tobacco/cannabis exposure associated with higher risk of ADHD, FASD, and EF deficits?
  2. Is prenatal tobacco/cannabis exposure associated with higher risk of same substance use in adulthood?
  3. Does the risk of substance use disorder increase with alcohol plus tobacco/cannabis exposure compared to alcohol-only exposure?

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