January 2021 - ABCD Study

Welcome to the ABCD Study Newsletter!
Para una versión en español, haga clic aquí.
ABCD Study News January 2020

We hope this newsletter finds you well as we continue to live through a global pandemic. Our hearts go out to all our ABCD families for enduring such a challenging year, all the while remaining committed to the ABCD Study^®. We are here for you, and we look forward to seeing you in person as soon as it is safe to do so. As always, we encourage you to stay informed about COVID-19 by visiting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. For updated local resources, please visit your local ABCD website listed here. We wish you a healthy, happy and safe 2021!

ABCD SCIENCE

ABCD Study investigators publish research about sleep and depression

Dr. Aimee Goldstone, Dr. Fiona Baker, Dr. Ian Colrain, and Dr. Devin Prouty from SRI International, and Dr. Duncan Clark from the University of Pittsburgh, along with several other researchers, published a scientific article about the relationship between sleep disturbances and depression symptoms in youth. The data summarized in the article were collected from ABCD Study participants across all 21 sites. The researchers found that sleep disturbances (e.g., trouble falling or staying asleep, or sleeping too much) when participants were 9-10 years old predicted depression symptoms one year later. Furthermore, the association between excessive sleep and depression symptoms was more than two-fold stronger for girls than for boys. These early findings point to a strong association between sleep and mental health. They also highlight the need for further research on the role that healthy sleep behavior may play in reducing the likelihood of depression onset in adolescence, particularly among girls. (Image source: VPR)

ABCD Study^® data releases

Third annual ABCD data release available to scientists worldwide

The ABCD Study^® made early longitudinal data available to researchers worldwide with its latest annual data release. In addition to baseline data, this release includes data from the 6-month and 1-year follow-up visits on nearly 12,000 youth and their parents/guardians. All the data are de-identified, which means that they can’t be linked to individual participants. With the ability to compare data across visit time points, scientists around the globe can now study the many factors that influence adolescent brain, cognitive, social and emotional development over time (see article summary above for an example). The next data release will be in fall 2021 and will include data from the 2-year follow-up visits. For more information, visit the data sharing page of the ABCD Study website. As always, we thank our dedicated, enthusiastic, and incredibly supportive ABCD families for making this study possible!

ABCD COVID-19 supplemental data release

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented disruptions and challenges to our ABCD families. In an effort to understand the full impact of this devastating virus, the ABCD Study sent electronic surveys about the pandemic to all ABCD families in May, June, August, and December of 2020. ABCD youth and a parent/guardian were asked separately about the youth’s school attendance and activities, sleep, daily routines, physical activity, mental health, screen time, racism/discrimination in relation to COVID-19, COVID attitudes and practices, and coping behaviors. These data are now available on the NIMH Data Archive. Researchers will be able to link data from these surveys to data from the main ABCD study visits, including those that occurred prior to the pandemic. Having access to pre-pandemic data, as well as information about experiences during the pandemic, and long-term data after the pandemic, will allow us to have unique insight into its impact on adolescent development. Future ABCD COVID-19 releases will include data from subsequent surveys. We are enormously grateful to our ABCD families for completing the surveys and continuing their participation in the ABCD Study during this time.

STUDENTS’ SPACE

Teens step up to help during COVID-19

Teens throughout the country are using their talents and creativity to help others during COVID-19. Their aid comes in many forms – from providing tutoring services, to making face shields and masks, to creating tracking systems and providing community resources. Check out these amazing projects:

Maryland teens have developed a company, Teens Helping Seniors, that delivers food and medication to senior citizens during COVID-19. The company has expanded nationwide! (YouTube video)
Students from three different schools in Charlotte, NC, have teamed up to use 3D printers to make face shields for healthcare workers.
High school students from San Francisco combined their “techie minds” to design a COVID-19 tracking and resource website called BACT (Bay Area COVID-19 Tracker).
A New York City teen is helping the local elderly stay connected to the world around them, by setting them up on Zoom to access weekly classes on how to use computers and smartphones.
Teens in California have used their artistic skills to create a COVID-19 coloring book for children and raise money for charity.
Two Cincinnati high school teens have launched a free online tutoring service to help local students with school work.

California high school students created and published the
“COVID Coloring Book” (Image: CNN)

A number of ABCD participants and their families are wondering about the impact of COVID-19 on the ABCD Study. A student asked this question about MRI scans:

“Since COVID came I have not had an MRI scan. Will I do it again, and if so, how?”

Great question! Like you, we are looking forward to a return to normal. For now, as COVID-19 cases continue to surge around the country, some ABCD sites have paused in-person visits and staff are only conducting assessments remotely. If your site is closed, this means that you can still complete games, puzzles and interviews from your home, but other types of assessments, like MRI, cannot be completed until your site determines it is safe to reopen. At that time, ABCD staff will contact you to schedule your in-person visit and MRI scan.

We know this is an uncertain time and we are so grateful for your patience and flexibility. Feel free to check in with your ABCD site with any questions, or just to say hello. You can find your site’s contact information here. We can’t wait to see all our ABCD families again!

FAMILIES’ PLACE

Thank you to our ABCD students who submitted original artwork to the ABCD Study^® special issue of ChildArt Magazine!

The issue explores the connections between neuroscience and art, and features contributions from scientists, including ABCD investigators and staff, artists, and ABCD participants. We are moved by the beautiful artwork and poetry on these pages and are so impressed with your talent, creativity and commitment to ABCD!

Click here to download ChildArt and look out for a hard copy coming your way at a future visit to your ABCD site.

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