# ABCD-USA Consortium: Coordinating Center

> **NIH DA U24** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · 2026 · $4,732,945

## 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 organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
- **Principal Investigator:** SANDRA A BROWN; TERRY L. JERNIGAN
- **Activity code:** U24 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **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

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11320765

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11320765, ABCD-USA Consortium: Coordinating Center (5U24DA041147-12). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-07-04 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11320765. Licensed CC0.

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