ABCD-USA Coordinating Center for Youth Brain Development Study
Official title: ABCD-USA Consortium: Coordinating Center
Funded at University of California, San Diego · NIH-11612791 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A nationwide effort to follow thousands of 9–10 year-olds over many years to learn how youth behaviors, brain development, and environment relate to health and substance use.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Diego NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (La Jolla, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2015 |
| Project end | March 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $4,732,942 |
| NIH project number | 3U24DA041147-12S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11612791 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children around ages 9–10 who are or will be part of the ABCD cohort and their families.
✕Less likely to help
Participants who do not engage with the data collection components or who do not use the open-access resources may see no direct benefit.
What this research studies
This project coordinates data collection across multiple sites to track a large group of young participants, including twins, with high retention. It combines standard tests with real-time, wireless data from daily life and biological samples to measure exposure and health indicators. The goal is to build a rich, open-access database that helps researchers understand factors affecting mental health, behavior, brain development, and substance use from childhood into adolescence and young adulthood. The Coordinating Center ensures standardized methods and seamless data integration across sites.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could improve our understanding of healthy development and inform interventions to support at-risk youth.
How similar studies have gone: Prior ABCD activities have demonstrated high retention and robust multi-site data quality, with ongoing expansion and data sharing.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California, San Diego
La Jolla, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jernigan, Terry L. — University of California, San Diego
- Study coordinator: Jernigan, Terry L.
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.