Tracking brain and health development in kids and teens at the Laureate Institute
Official title: 15/21 ABCD-USA Consortium: Research Project Site at LIBR
Funded at Laureate Institute for Brain Research · NIH-11301908 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project follows children who were about 9–10 years old as they grow into adolescence and young adulthood to learn how their brains, behavior, and health change over time.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Laureate Institute for Brain Research NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Tulsa, United States) |
| Project start | April 15, 2020 |
| Project end | March 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,974,592 |
| NIH project number | 5U01DA050989-07 |
| Project ID | NIH-11301908 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are families with children who were around 9–10 years old at enrollment (or enrolled youth now continuing through adolescence) who can attend periodic in-person visits at the Laureate Institute and participate in phone/app check-ins.
✕Less likely to help
Children who cannot safely undergo MRI, or families unable or unwilling to commit to repeated follow-up visits, may not benefit from participation.
What this research studies
You and your child would take part in a long-term program that includes detailed baseline visits with brain imaging (MRI), thinking and behavior tests, health exams, and collection of biological samples and questionnaires about life and environment. Follow-up includes in-person visits every two years plus yearly interviews and brief phone or app check-ins so changes can be tracked with minimal burden. The site focuses on many areas that affect youth—mental health, substance use, physical health, school and social activities—to see how these experiences relate to brain development. Study staff work to keep families involved over many years so researchers can learn how early experiences shape health across adolescence.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify patterns and influences that support healthy brain and behavioral development, which may guide better prevention and care for youth.
How similar studies have gone: This is part of the nationwide ABCD effort that builds on previous neuroimaging and developmental cohorts and is the largest study of its kind, using well-established methods at a larger scale.
Where this research is happening
-
Laureate Institute for Brain Research
Tulsa, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Paulus, Martin P. — Laureate Institute for Brain Research
- Study coordinator: Paulus, Martin P.
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.