Abstract
The HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study provides a unique opportunity to comprehensively examine the development of the visual system across early development. HBCD is a prospective longitudinal study that will enroll an estimated 7500 pregnant individuals across 25 sites in the US and follow these individuals and their infants until late childhood. The sample is expected to be representative of families across the US and a quarter of the sample will consist of infants exposed to opioids and other potentially harmful substances (e.g., alcohol, tobacco, cannabis), stressors, and trauma. Comprehensive assessments will also measure environmental factors that are predicted to affect developmental trajectories, including the development of visual processes. Eight comprehensive visits are planned, across the first 4-5 years of life, that include several measures of brain development using innovative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Electroencephalogram (EEG) tasks. Vision screening will also be performed. The purpose of this presentation is to introduce the vision sciences community to the HBCD Study and the vision-related developmental data that will be publicly released and available for analysis every year of the project. MRI assessments include structural images, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), MR spectroscopy, and resting state fMRI at 1 month, 3-9, 9-15-, and 15-48-months. EEG assessments include a passive video viewing EEG task designed to look at oscillatory activity, a checkerboard visual evoked potential (VEP) assessment, and face/object and upright faces/inverted faces ERP tasks at 3-9, 9-15, and 15-48 months. In addition, acuity and risk for ophthalmologic impairments will be assessed using the spot vision screener beginning at 9-15 months. The HBCD dataset is expected to be a valuable resource for understanding early brain development as well as the development of visual processes including attention and perception.