National coordinating center for children's brain, behavior, and health
ABCD-USA Consortium: Coordinating Center
This project organizes and shares brain scans, behavior tests, biosamples, and wearable sensor data from thousands of 9- to 10-year-old children across the U.S. to help learn what affects kids' mental and physical health.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Diego NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (La Jolla, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11320765 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If your child took part, researchers collected MRI brain scans, questionnaires, biosamples (like saliva, hair, and shed teeth), and real-world data from wearable sensors across 21 U.S. sites. The Coordinating Center harmonizes and safeguards the data, manages follow-up visits, and prepares de-identified datasets for use by qualified scientists. Families are invited back over time so the project can track brain and behavior changes through adolescence. The work links genetics, hormones, environment, and daily behaviors to better understand risks such as substance use and emerging mental health issues.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are children around 9 to 10 years old (including twins) and their caregivers who can attend clinic visits, MRI scans, and provide biosamples and survey information over time.
Not a fit: People seeking immediate medical treatment, adults, or children outside the eligible age range are unlikely to receive direct clinical benefits from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify early warning signs and causes of substance use, mental health struggles, and environmental harms so doctors and families can better prevent or address them.
How similar studies have performed: Other large pediatric cohort efforts using MRI, wearable sensors, and biosamples have generated valuable findings, so the overall approach is well established.
Where this research is happening
La Jolla, United States
- University of California, San Diego — La Jolla, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jernigan, Terry L. — University of California, San Diego
- Study coordinator: Jernigan, Terry L.
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.