Understanding Healthy Brain and Child Development
13/24 The Healthy Brain and Child Development National Consortium
This large-scale effort aims to understand how genes and early life experiences shape brain development in children from before birth through age 10.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Pennsylvania State University, the NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (University Park, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11139483 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
We want to learn how different environmental factors, like substance exposure or stress during pregnancy and early childhood, affect a child's development. To do this, we are creating a detailed picture of typical brain development over the first 10 years of life. Our approach involves collecting information from 7,200 mothers and their infants across the United States, using advanced brain imaging, behavioral tests, and biological samples. This will help us understand how early experiences can lead to long-term developmental changes.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates for this effort are pregnant mothers and their infants who are willing to participate in a long-term study across multiple sites in the United States.
Not a fit: Patients who are not pregnant or do not have young children within the specified age range would not directly benefit from participating in this particular study.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify early risk factors and protective factors, leading to better strategies for supporting healthy brain development in children.
How similar studies have performed: While individual studies have explored aspects of child development, this effort is novel in its large scale, harmonized approach, and comprehensive data collection across many sites.
Where this research is happening
University Park, United States
- Pennsylvania State University, the — University Park, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Perez-Edgar, Koraly E — Pennsylvania State University, the
- Study coordinator: Perez-Edgar, Koraly E
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.