October 2018 - ABCD Study

Welcome to the ABCD Study Newsletter!

University of Rochester

Located in upstate New York, the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study site at the University of Rochester has enrolled over 300 students since joining the study last year. Led by Dr. John Foxe and Dr. Ed Freedman, the Rochester team is thrilled to welcome back families for their first annual follow-up visits while also continuing to enroll new participants until the recruitment window closes later this month. Thank you to all our dedicated ABCD families and to our communities and schools for their continued support!

During their visits, our ABCD families enjoy learning about the brain by playing with different anatomical models they find throughout our lab. A bulletin board in the lobby also features a color-coded diagram of the brain that students can use to identify structures on a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) picture of their own brain. This multifunctional bulletin board also displays artwork that students have created, such as tracings of their brain and original drawings (see photo below).

Rochester Brain Board Parents often engage the research assistants in conversation about the study and ongoing research in the lab. Overall, our enrollment success would not have been possible without cooperation and enthusiasm from the Rochester City School District and other districts in the surrounding areas. After hearing about the study from participating families, the science department of the Webster Central School District organized a field trip to our site where students learned about the different jobs offered here and how to get involved in science after college. They even had an opportunity to speak with our MRI technologist and observe part of a scanning session!

VCU team
Members of the Rochester ABCD Study Team:
Back row (left to right): John Foxe, Ph.D., Brianne Roche, Allison Havens, and Ed Freedman, Ph.D.
Front row (left to right): Preshetha Kanagaiah, Emily Richardson, and Nicole Vieyto

A student at the Rochester site made a copy of her MRI scan and then traced over it, creating a beautiful, multicolored design!

Brain picture

Exercising is good for your brain, too! Regular aerobic exercise can positively impact the size and function of the hippocampus—the area of the brain involved in memory and emotion—and it also may reduce levels of cortisol, also known as “the stress hormone.” Click here to read more about how exercise affects your brain.

Fun Fact About Rochester
The Rochester Marshmallow Company was the first in the United States to produce marshmallows on a large scale! Joseph B. Demerath revolutionized the manufacturing and distributing processes to allow marshmallows to be mass produced across the country by 1900. Read more at Rochester Brainery.

robot
Photo Source: The Resident

Study Finds an Association Between Screen Time and Performance on Mental Tasks
Analyzing data collected from about 4,500 families in the ABCD Study, researchers at Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute found an association between smartphone use and cognitive test performance. Students who used smartphones and other devices in their free time for less than two hours a day performed better on cognitive tests assessing their thinking, language, and memory, compared to those who used devices for more than two hours a day, according to a study published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health. The authors caution that while the study found an association between cognitive test performance and screen time, it did not establish a causal link. Click here to read more.

ABCD Staff Member of the Month
Congratulations to Lawrence Wong, Lead Research Assistant at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, for his dedication to reaching their enrollment target!

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

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