ABCD USA data and resource center for adolescent brain and health

ABCD-USA Consortium: Data Analysis, Informatics and Resource Center

NIH-funded research J. Craig Venter Institute, INC. · NIH-11304523

Collects and shares detailed brain, health, and behavior data from nearly 12,000 U.S. children and teens to help researchers understand adolescent development.

Quick facts

Grant typeNIH-funded research
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionJ. Craig Venter Institute, INC. NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (La Jolla, United States)
Project IDNIH-11304523 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

If your child joined ABCD, they completed standardized MRI scans, gave small biospecimen samples, and answered questions about behavior, mental and physical health, and substance use over many years. The project uses the same procedures at all sites, mobile data collection, and computer checks to make data reliable while keeping visits as easy as possible for families. The Data and Resource Center organizes, harmonizes, and shares those measurements so scientists across the country can use them. This work supports long-term tracking of development from late childhood into the teen years and helps enable many different studies using the same data.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates are families with children who were about 9–10 years old at enrollment (or adolescents at participating sites) who can attend study visits, complete questionnaires, and provide MRI and small biospecimen samples.

Not a fit: Adults who were never enrolled, or children and families unable or unwilling to travel to one of the participating U.S. sites or provide MRI/biospecimen data, would not directly benefit from participation.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this resource could speed discoveries about normal and abnormal brain development and lead to better ways to prevent or treat mental health and substance-use problems in youth.

How similar studies have performed: Large long-term child and adolescent cohort studies have successfully informed how environment, brain, and behavior interact, and ABCD is larger and more standardized than most prior efforts.

Where this research is happening

La Jolla, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.