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An introduction to the HEALthy Brain and Child Development Study (HBCD) study
Charles A Nelson1, Jessica Frankeberger2, Christina D Chambers3
1Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Graduate School of Education, Boston, MA, USA.
Insights
The HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study tracks child development from pregnancy to age 10. It investigates how prenatal substance exposure and other factors impact brain development and long-term health outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Human brain development begins prenatally and continues rapidly post-birth.
- Prenatal and early childhood exposures to biological (e.g., substance use) or psychosocial hazards (e.g., maltreatment) can alter typical developmental trajectories.
- These alterations are linked to potential psychological, behavioral, and physical health issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the short- and long-term effects of various prenatal and early childhood factors on developmental trajectories.
- To understand the impact of prenatal substance use on brain development and child health.
- To inform future interventions and policies promoting child wellbeing and resilience.
Main Methods:
- The HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study is a multi-site, prospective, longitudinal cohort study.
- Data collection spans from pregnancy through age 10, with varying sampling density.
- Multimodal data on brain, physical, biological, cognitive, behavioral, social, and emotional development are collected.
Main Results:
- The HBCD Study is collecting comprehensive data on child development.
- Data will be made publicly available annually to facilitate research.
- This study provides a foundation for understanding developmental impacts.
Conclusions:
- The HBCD Study's findings will be crucial for developing effective prenatal and early childhood interventions.
- Understanding developmental trajectories is key to promoting resilience in children.
- Publicly accessible data will advance research on child health and wellbeing.
Abstract:
The fundamental organization of the human brain is established before birth, with rapid growth continuing over the first postnatal years. Children exposed before or after birth to various biological (e.g., substance exposure) or psychosocial hazards (e.g., maltreatment) are at elevated likelihood of deviating from a typical developmental trajectory, which in turn can be associated with psychological, behavioral, and physical health sequelae. In the HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study, a multi-site prospective longitudinal cohort study, brain, physical, biological, cognitive, behavioral, social, and emotional development is being examined starting in pregnancy and planned through age 10 (data are sampled at varying degrees of granularity depending on age, with more dense sampling earlier in life). HBCD aims to determine the short- and long-term impacts of a variety of both harmful and protective factors, including prenatal substance use, on developmental trajectories through early childhood. Organized as a nationwide consortium across 27 sites, the HBCD Study will collect multimodal data that will be made publicly available on a yearly basis, through a data use application and approval process. Here we provide an overview of the HBCD Study design, sampling, protocol development, and data management. Data collected through HBCD will be fundamental to informing future prenatal and early childhood interventions and policies to promote wellbeing and resilience in all children.
