NIH www.nih.gov recently released a dataset from their Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) https://abcdstudy.org study which is the largest long term study of brain development and child health in the U.S. This information was made available through the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH https://www.nimh.nih.gov.
Approximately 30 terabytes of data has been obtained from the first 4,500 participants which will be made available to scientists to conduct research on factors that influence the brain, cognitive, social, and emotional development.
This interim release of data to scientists includes basic demographics, assessments of physical and mental health, substance use, culture and environment, neurocognition, tabulated structural and functional neuroimaging data, brain images, as well as biological data.
The recruitment for study participants began in 2016 through outreach to the public, charter and private schools, as well as twin registries in Colorado, Minnesota, Missouri, and Virginia. The recruitment for study participants is currently being conducted at 21 study sites across the country.
So far, 7.637 youths have been enrolled including 6,399 single participants and 1.238 twins and multiples. The recruitment has now reached 66 percent of the goals. The study aims to enroll a total of 11,500 children by the end of 2018.
Researchers are addressing questions related to adolescent brain development to improve future prevention and treatment efforts, public health strategies and policy decisions, but will also examine:
- How sports injuries can impact developmental outcomes?
- What is the relationship between screen time, brain, social development, and the developing brain?
- What are some of the factors that contribute to achievement gaps?
- How does sleep, nutrition, and physical activity affect learning, brain development, and other health outcomes across racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups?
- What brain pathways are associated with the onset and progression of mental health disorders and do these pathways differ by sex?
- What is the relationship between substance use and mental illness?
- How do genetic and environmental factors contribute to brain development?
Participants will be followed for ten years, by collecting data on a semi-annual and annual basis through interviews and behavioral testing. Neuroimaging data, including high resolution MRIs are collected every two years to measure changes in brain structure and function.
The ABCD study supported by the NIMH is also supported by additional Institutes within NIH. These include the National Institute on Drug Abuse and Alcoholism, NCI, The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, plus the NIH Office of Behavioral Social Sciences Research, and the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health.
In addition, CDC is participating in the study within their Division of School Health, and the CDC Division of Violence Prevention. Additional partnerships are in place with the National Institute of Justice, National Science Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Go to https://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/adolescent-brain for more information on the adolescent brain.