How teen brain development links to emerging mental health symptoms
Alignment of cortical development trajectories with emergent dimensional psychopathology and related risk factors among adolescents in the ABCD Study
This project follows thousands of children from preteen years into early adulthood to link changes in the brain's outer layer with emerging mental health symptoms and genetic and environmental risks.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts General Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11309672 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From your perspective, this work uses data from nearly 12,000 children who enrolled at age 9–10 and had repeated MRI scans plus yearly surveys as they grew into their teens and early 20s. Researchers track how the cortex thins over time—especially in front and side brain regions—and compare those patterns to rising emotional and behavioral symptoms each year. They also look at genetic information and details about home, school, and social environments to see which factors explain who develops problems. The team uses the publicly released ABCD data to align brain changes with symptom emergence across adolescence.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adolescents (and their families) who have repeated brain imaging and yearly mental-health measures, like participants originally enrolled in the ABCD cohort at age 9–10.
Not a fit: People without adolescent imaging or longitudinal symptom data, or those whose mental health problems start in later adulthood, are less likely to gain direct benefit from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could help identify brain-based signs that someone is at higher risk for developing mental health problems during adolescence so support and prevention can be offered earlier.
How similar studies have performed: Smaller or cross-sectional studies have previously linked cortical thinning to psychiatric symptoms, but this large, longitudinal ABCD effort is more comprehensive and generalizable.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Massachusetts General Hospital — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Roffman, Joshua Lawrence — Massachusetts General Hospital
- Study coordinator: Roffman, Joshua Lawrence
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 below.