Understanding Healthy Brain and Child Development

4/24 Healthy Brain and Child Development National Consortium

NIH-funded research Emory University · NIH-11141070

This large-scale effort aims to understand how children's brains and behaviors develop from before birth through age 10, looking at how genes and early life experiences shape their journey.

Quick facts

Grant typeU01 cooperative agreement
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionEmory University NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Atlanta, United States)
Project IDNIH-11141070 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

We are following 7,200 mothers and their babies across the United States to learn about healthy brain and child development. Our goal is to create a detailed picture of how children grow and change during their first decade of life. We will use advanced brain imaging like MRI and EEG, along with various tests for behavior, body functions, and psychology, and collect biological samples. This will help us understand how different experiences, both before and after birth, influence a child's development.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: This effort involves mothers and infants, following children from before birth through their first 10 years of life.

Not a fit: Patients not in the age range of prenatal to 10 years old would not directly benefit from participating in this specific research.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: This work could help us better understand how early life experiences affect brain development, potentially leading to new ways to support children's health and well-being.

How similar studies have performed: While individual studies have explored aspects of child development, this consortium aims to establish a comprehensive, large-scale normative template, which is a novel and extensive approach.

Where this research is happening

Atlanta, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-15 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.