Understanding Healthy Brain and Child Development
Official title: 14/24 The Healthy Brain & Child Development National Consortium
Funded at University of California, San Diego · NIH-11376147 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project aims to learn how early life experiences, both good and challenging, shape a child's brain development from before birth through their first 10 years.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Diego NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (La Jolla, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2021 |
| Project end | June 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $56,944 |
| NIH project number | 3U01DA055369-05S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11376147 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are pregnant mothers and their infants who are willing to join a long-term project tracking development across various stages.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who are not pregnant or do not have infants within the specified age range would not directly benefit from participating in this specific data collection.
What this research studies
We are following 7,500 mothers and their babies across the United States to create a detailed picture of how children grow and develop. Our team uses advanced brain scans like MRI and EEG, along with fun activities and games, to understand how brains change over time. We also collect information about a child's environment, health, and family life. This helps us see how different experiences might affect a child's journey as they grow.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help us better understand how early life experiences influence a child's brain and behavior, leading to new ways to support healthy development and address challenges.
How similar studies have gone: While individual aspects have been studied, this project is a novel, large-scale national effort to create a comprehensive and harmonized dataset on child neurodevelopment.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California, San Diego
La Jolla, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bandoli, Gretchen E. — University of California, San Diego
- Study coordinator: Bandoli, Gretchen E.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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California Abundant Birth Project: does guaranteed income during pregnancy affect birth outcomes and child development?
A government-backed program gives pregnant people in California monthly income to reduce stress, with researchers studying how this helps birth outcomes and early child development.
-
Father-inclusive parenting program to boost early child development
A family-focused program tests whether including fathers in responsive parenting support leads to better outcomes for young children.
-
Healthy Brain and Child Development study across 27 sites
This project studies how genes and early-life environments affect brain development in thousands of babies and young children.
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Healthy Brain and Child Development study across 27 sites
A nationwide study follows mothers and infants from pregnancy through early childhood to map how genes and environments shape brain development and behavior.
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Healthy Brain and Child Development in the US: a large, multi-site study of early life factors
A large nationwide study follows mothers and their babies from birth to age 10 to understand how genes and early life experiences shape brain development.
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Healthy Brain and Child Development: a big study following kids from birth through age 10
A large, nationwide study will follow 7,200 mothers and their babies to map how early life experiences shape brain growth and development.
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.