Understanding Healthy Brain Development in Children
5/24 Healthy Brain and Child Development National Consortium
This project aims to understand how early life experiences, both good and bad, shape a child's brain development from before birth through their first ten years.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston Children's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11139452 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
We want to learn how a child's brain grows and develops during their first ten years of life, starting even before they are born. This involves following 7,200 mothers and their babies across the United States to gather a complete picture of their development. We will use advanced brain imaging like MRI and EEG, along with looking at behavior, physical health, and other biological information. By collecting this detailed information, we hope to create a clear picture of healthy development and understand how different experiences might influence it.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: This project is looking for pregnant mothers and their infants who are willing to participate in a long-term study across 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 project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help us better understand how to support healthy brain development in children and prevent problems caused by early life challenges.
How similar studies have performed: While individual aspects of child development have been studied, this project represents a novel, large-scale effort to create a comprehensive map of brain development across many children.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Boston Children's Hospital — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Grant, Patricia Ellen — Boston Children's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Grant, Patricia Ellen
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.