Healthy Brain and Child Development: understanding how early experiences shape child growth
Official title: 10/24 Healthy Brain and Child Development National Consortium
Funded at Osu Center for Health Sciences · NIH-11518976 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A large national effort is studying how genes and environments affect brain development in infants and young children to understand why some kids develop health problems later.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Osu Center for Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Tulsa, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2021 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,254,284 |
| NIH project number | 4U01DA055349-06 |
| Project ID | NIH-11518976 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Families with infants and young children enrolled in the study across participating sites will contribute.
✕Less likely to help
Some families in the study may not directly benefit but contribute to knowledge that may help future children.
What this research studies
This project follows 7,200 mothers and their babies across 27 sites to build a big, shared picture of early brain development. It will use brain imaging, brainwave tests, behavioral tasks, and biosamples to map how prenatal and early life exposures influence development over the first 10 years. Researchers will harmonize data so scientists everywhere can learn from a common, high-quality dataset. The study is led by the HBCD Consortium and will produce a rich resource for understanding risk and resilience in child development.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help families and clinicians identify early indicators of developmental risks and inform interventions to support healthy brain development.
How similar studies have gone: Previous large neurodevelopment studies have shown the value of harmonized data, and this project builds on that approach with a broader, standardized protocol.
Where this research is happening
-
Osu Center for Health Sciences
Tulsa, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Croff, Julie May — Osu Center for Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Croff, Julie May
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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California Abundant Birth Project: does guaranteed income during pregnancy affect birth outcomes and child development?
A government-backed program gives pregnant people in California monthly income to reduce stress, with researchers studying how this helps birth outcomes and early child development.
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Father-inclusive parenting program to boost early child development
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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.
-
Healthy Brain and Child Development study across 27 sites
A nationwide study follows mothers and infants from pregnancy through early childhood to map how genes and environments shape brain development and behavior.
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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.