The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study site at SRI International (SRI), located in Menlo Park, California, is at the center of Silicon Valley. Many area residents work in science and technology industries, so it is no surprise that lots of students are interested in participating in the ABCD Study—from Napa all the way down to San Jose. ABCD SRI is led by Drs. Fiona Baker and Ian Colrain (see team photo, below) and has enrolled more than 320 youth to date, of whom 100 have returned for their first annual follow-up visits. We enjoy celebrating these milestones and recently organized a team get-together, which included golf cart rides with “Marty”, the mannequin head (see photo)! Thank you to all our ABCD families for your generosity, enthusiasm, and commitment to ABCD!
Photo above: A participant learns about brain waves with “Marty”, the mannequin head, while taking a fun ride through campus.

Members of the SRI International ABCD Study Team:
Back row (left to right): Yun Qi Lim, Jose Garcia, Fiona Baker, Devin Prouty, and Stephanie Claudatos
Front row (left to right): Aimee Goldstone, Maureen Gil,
Ellen Smith, and Vanessa Alschuler
SRI is one of only two ABCD sites not affiliated with a university (the other is the Laureate Institute for Brain Research in Oklahoma). SRI is a nonprofit research institute that conducts multiple studies across various fields, including artificial intelligence, cyber security, education, and, of course, biosciences! SRI is the birthplace of SIRI (later acquired by Apple) and is also where the original computer mouse was developed.
Besides keeping the SRI ABCD site thriving and productive, our team helps families learn more about brain research. During breaks, participants visit the Human Sleep Research Laboratory where they can relax, play games, have snacks, and learn about sleep polysomnography to see how brain waves look during sleep!
Our team enjoys working with a diverse group of families and seeing the growth of the children when they come back for their follow-up visits. We also enjoy collaborating with other ABCD sites. A couple of SRI research assistants recently visited the University California, San Diego and Oregon Health & Science University to see how research is done at those locations. We welcome ABCD visitors to our site too!
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