On Apr. 17, 2020, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced nearly $290 million of new funding for seven years to research institutions around the country, and renewed its commitment to the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, the largest long-term study of brain development and child health ever conducted in the U.S.

Led by a collaborative team of three principal investigators – Damien Fair, P.A.-C, Ph.D., Sarah Feldstein Ewing, Ph.D., and Bonnie Nagel, Ph.D. – OHSU’s ongoing work will utilize mental and physical health assessments, coupled with functional magnetic resonance imaging, to help inform prevention, treatment intervention, and public health strategies for mental health and substance use.

First launched in 2015, ABCD is currently following nearly 12,000 children – 582 recruited by OHSU – for at least 10 years, starting at ages 9 to 10. One of 21 ABCD research sites across the nation, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) was granted more than $11 million to expand research efforts to better understand the association of adolescent experiences – such as sleep, screen time and substance abuse – and cognitive ability.