ABCD-USA Consortium: Coordinating Center

NIH RePORTER · DA · U24 · $4,732,945 · view on reporter.nih.gov ↗

Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY In its initial funding period, the ABCD consortium used a rigorous epidemiological approach to recruit a diverse sample of 11,878 9- to 10-year-olds through our 21 research sites, of which 2,136 are twins or triplets. Expert workgroups (WGs) designed protocols using proven methods to assess, scan, and maintain this cohort with very high retention rates. The study complements well validated standardized assessments with novel real-time objective data collected wirelessly in the natural environment to securely capture indices of youth behaviors. These technologies add measurement precision, ecological validity, and an opportunity to reveal previously unknown effects of behavioral, physiological, and environmental factors in the development and fluctuation of substance use, screen media use, mental and physical health concerns, brain development, and their dynamic relationships. Bioassays (e.g., from hair, shed teeth, blood, and oral fluid) provide genome-wide genotyping, pubertal hormones, more precise estimates of exposures to substances of abuse and environmental toxins, and eventually more comprehensive estimates of relevant epigenetic effects. State-of-the-art harmonization methods for MRI and other data enable seamless data integration across sites into an invaluable open-science database that becomes available to the larger scientific community within a year of data collection. The Coordinating Center (CC) met all of its previous aims, and here describes how it will achieve an adjusted set of aims for the next 7 years. Specifically, we describe a flexible organizational framework created for management of the study that relies heavily on cross-disciplinary knowledge and extensive research experience of expert assessment WGs and strategic planning groups, and a dedicated team within the CC, Data Analysis, Informatics and Resource Center (DAIRC), and NIH to coordinate internal and external communications; support and integrate the development and r

Key facts

NIH application ID
11320765
Project number
5U24DA041147-12
Recipient
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
Principal Investigator
SANDRA A BROWN; TERRY L. JERNIGAN
Activity code
U24
Funding institute
DA
Fiscal year
2026
Award amount
$4,732,945
Award type
5
Project period
2015-09-30T00:00:00 → 2027-03-31T00:00:00