July 2018 - ABCD Study

Welcome to the ABCD Study Newsletter!

University of Vermont

In the green mountains of Vermont are nestled tiny communities with a lot of heart. This is most evident in the recruitment success of the University of Vermont (UVM). To reach our goal of 575 youth, we need to recruit almost 4 percent of the 9- and 10-year-olds in the entire state (source: Vermont census). We are happy to announce that we have now enrolled over 500 participants from 39 schools! Many of these schools have astounding rates of participation—between 10 and 20 percent of all eligible students in some schools. We attribute our high numbers primarily to the strong connections of our tight-knit Vermont communities. Our students, principals, teachers, and parents have been

the catalysts to our success, and we thank everyone for making the UVM ABCD site a true triumph!

One way we foster these strong community ties is by hosting fun events—ice skating (see photo to left) and baseball games are recent favorites!

We also have data collection “camp” during the summer and school vacations where our participants play group games and learn about their brains (Photo to left: UVM staff and ABCD participants playing a group game).

Members of the UVM ABCD Study Team:
Back row (left to right): Nicholas Allgaier (post-doc);
Joe Ortigara, Sarah Smith, and
Phil Nguyen (research assistants [RAs])
Front row (left to right): Naomi Koliba (RA),
Alexandra Potter (principal investigator [PI]),
Sofia Lozon and Hannah Loso (RAs)
Not pictured: Hugh Garavan (PI)

Lego

Here is one of our participants showing off the brain cap he made during one of our “camp” days!

Your brain contains 100,000 miles of axons (the long fibers extending from brain cells that act as communication superhighways). That’s four trips around the earth!

Race car
Source: Wikipedia

Fun Fact About Vermont
Montpelier is the only U.S. capital without a McDonalds!

rollerblading
Source: Destination360.com

Research Suggests That Not All Forms of Media Are Considered Equal
(NPR, 6/19/18)
Dr. Martin Paulus from the Laureate Institute for Brain Research—one of our 21 ABCD Study sites—presented research using data from 4,500 ABCD participants that suggested social media use was associated with greater physical activity and better sleep than other types of media, like watching TV and playing video games. These findings came from the first of many analyses of ABCD Study data that will inform the public about how adolescent cognitive development is impacted by modern technology. Click here to read more.

ABCD Study Surpasses 10,000 Enrollment!
The ABCD Study has enrolled more than 10,000 participants since its launch in September 2016! We expect to reach our goal of 11,900 by the end of the enrollment period later this year. Kudos to all our participants, families, and educators for making this study such a remarkable success!

ABCD Staff Member of the Month
Congratulations to Lisa Straub, Site Coordinator at Virginia Commonwealth University, for her diligence in organizing neurocognitive task piloting, and her leading role in coordinating the multi-site Fitbit pilot.

If you have questions and would like to reach someone on your ABCD Study team, please click here.

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