Healthy Brain and Child Development study network
Official title: 16/24 Healthy Brain and Child Development National Consortium
Funded at Univ of Maryland, College Park · NIH-11518968 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A nationwide effort to map how genes, environment, and experiences shape brain growth in thousands of babies and young kids from birth through age 10.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of Maryland, College Park NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (College Park, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2021 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,653,040 |
| NIH project number | 4U01DA055316-06 |
| Project ID | NIH-11518968 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Mothers and their children from birth up to 10 years old enrolled across participating sites, with diverse backgrounds.
✕Less likely to help
The study is observational and may not directly benefit every participant, depending on personal health circumstances.
What this research studies
This project creates a large, diverse group of mothers and children across 24 sites to collect brain imaging, brainwave data, behavioral measures, and biosamples. It uses harmonized protocols to build a shared dataset that tracks development and environmental factors from pregnancy through early childhood. The goal is to understand how prenatal and early-life experiences influence neurodevelopment so researchers can identify risks and promote healthy outcomes for children.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, it could lead to better identification of developmental risks and inform strategies to support healthier brain development in children.
How similar studies have gone: Previous large-scale neurodevelopment studies have shown that standardized, long-term data collection can reveal important developmental patterns and risk factors for later outcomes.
Where this research is happening
-
Univ of Maryland, College Park
College Park, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Fox, Nathan a — Univ of Maryland, College Park
- Study coordinator: Fox, Nathan a
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Healthy Brain and Child Development study across 27 sites
This project studies how genes and early-life environments affect brain development in thousands of babies and young children.
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Healthy Brain and Child Development study across 27 sites
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Healthy Brain and Child Development in the US: a large, multi-site study of early life factors
A large nationwide study follows mothers and their babies from birth to age 10 to understand how genes and early life experiences shape brain development.
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Healthy Brain and Child Development: a big study following kids from birth through age 10
A large, nationwide study will follow 7,200 mothers and their babies to map how early life experiences shape brain growth and development.
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.