HBCD PRELUDE: Understanding How Early Life Experiences Shape Brain Development
Official title: 4/6 HBCD Prenatal Experiences and Longitudinal Development (PRELUDE) Consortium
Funded at Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr · NIH-11518975 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant supports a large study of how prenatal and early-life experiences affect a child’s brain and development over the first 10 years.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cincinnati, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2021 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $2,413,640 |
| NIH project number | 4U01DA055342-06 |
| Project ID | NIH-11518975 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Families with newborns and children up to age 10 who are willing to participate in imaging, behavioral assessments, and biospecimen collection across multiple sites.
✕Less likely to help
Families who cannot commit to long-term participation or live outside collaborating sites may see limited direct benefit.
What this research studies
Researchers will follow 7,200 mother-infant pairs across 27 sites to collect brain imaging, EEG, behavioral data, and biosamples, building a comprehensive picture of how environment and biology interact in early development. The study uses standardized protocols to create a rich, shareable data resource for scientists and clinicians. Parents may participate by having their child undergo noninvasive assessments and provide biological samples, with support from the study team.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Findings could lead to better prevention and intervention strategies for neurodevelopmental disorders linked to early-life exposures.
How similar studies have gone: Previous neurodevelopment studies show meaningful insights when large, harmonized datasets are used; this study aims to scale and harmonize further.
Where this research is happening
-
Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr
Cincinnati, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Merhar, Stephanie L — Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr
- Study coordinator: Merhar, Stephanie 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.