New US dataset sheds light on infant brain development

Researchers from the University of California San Diego, in collaboration with a national consortium, have published the first major data release from the HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study. This dataset tracks infants and their mothers from pregnancy through the first nine months of life, collecting a wide range of biomedical, behavioral, environmental, and neuroimaging data.

The scale of this project is unprecedented: it draws on data from 27 research sites across the United States and integrates multiple modalities, including brain images (structural and functional), electroencephalography (EEG), genomic and biosensor information, and detailed behavioural assessments. Because the protocols were harmonised across sites, researchers can make consistent comparisons across populations and geographies. 

One strength of the release is the combination of structure + function data (neuroimaging + EEG), allowing exploration of how neural architecture relates to neural activity. Behavioral measures, such as infants’ responses in play interactions are linked with biological indicators, enabling researchers to probe how early environmental, prenatal, and maternal exposures might influence brain development.

Importantly, the dataset is housed on the NIH’s Brain Development Cohorts (NBDC) Data Hub, which also hosts data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. This co‑location facilitates longitudinal and cross‑cohort comparisons from infancy through adolescence. 

The potential impact is broad: by making a richly detailed, multimodal infant–mother dataset publicly available, the consortium aims to accelerate discovery in developmental neuroscience, inform hypotheses about early risk and resilience, and ultimately influence clinical, public health, or policy applications. 

Future waves of data collection will expand the developmental window beyond nine months, enabling a deeper understanding of how early life shapes long-term brain and behavioural trajectories.

In sum, this first data release from HBCD offers a foundational resource to explore how genetic, environmental, and experiential factors interplay in the earliest phases of human neurodevelopment.

The full dataset is publicly available via the HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) website.