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The ABCD Study (Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study) is an NIH-funded longitudinal study that invited 11,880 children aged 9-10 and follows them through adolescence into young adulthood. Researchers access its data through the NBDC Data Hub after an approved Data Use Certification and passing the required training. This guide takes you from “what is it” to “how do I get the data” in one route. Facts below were read on the study’s own pages on 2026-11-07.
What the ABCD Study is
The ABCD Study is a long-term study of child and adolescent brain development and health. According to the study’s About page, it is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), invited 11,880 children at ages 9-10, and tracks them “through adolescence into young adulthood.” The page gives no fixed duration in years, so none is stated here.
Who runs it and what it covers
The study is run by the ABCD Research Consortium, which the About page lists as a Coordinating Center, a Data Analysis, Informatics and Resource Center (DAIRC), and 21 research sites. Each data release covers the full participant cohort, per the study’s data sharing page.
The data documentation at docs.abcdstudy.org is organised into five groups. This is the quickest way to see what a release contains before you apply:
- Study: overview, design and open science.
- Data Use: access and download, responsible use, acknowledgement.
- Documentation: curation and structure, non-imaging data, imaging data, substudies, release notes.
- Tools: DEAP, the NBDC platform, R and Python packages, the CMIG pipeline.
- Info: FAQ, issue reporting, changelog and citation.
At the time of reading, the documentation site announced ABCD 7.0 as the current data release.
How to get ABCD data
ABCD Study data access
Controlled-access ABCD data is served through the NBDC Data Hub, described on the study’s data sharing page as a secure platform with compute-in-place analysis. The NBDC data access process page sets out these steps (read 2026-11-07):
- Check eligibility. You need a research-related reason, affiliation with an NIH-recognized research institution approved by an authorized signing official (SO), an institution with an active Federalwide Assurance (FWA), and an institutional email address (personal email domains are generally blocked).
- Choose the type of Data Use Certification (DUC). Apply as an individual, or as lead PI on a group-level DUC that lists others from your institution. Trainees must be on a group-level DUC, and each recipient can appear on only one DUC.
- Check whether you need an A-DUC. If you plan to publicly share findings from American Indian/Alaska Native data analysed separately, a second DUC is needed after the general DUC is approved.
- Review the NIH security requirements. The DUC includes a NIST SP 800-171 compliance form; the study’s data sharing page says controlled-access data must sit on systems meeting NIST SP 800-171 or ISO/IEC 27001/27002.
- Sign in to the NBDC Data Access Platform with your institutional email through RAS, go to Data Access, select Request access and complete the four DUC forms: lead recipient details, a Research Data Use Statement of up to 250 words, NIST SP 800-171 compliance, and the institutional SO’s name and email.
- Sign the DUC electronically (DocuSign). The SO signs next, then the NBDC Data Access Committee (DAC) reviews it. The DAC checks that the request is reasonable and matches the DUC terms; it does not judge the scientific quality of the proposal.
- Complete the NBDC Responsible Data and Biospecimen Use Training and pass its assessment with at least 90%. Attempts are unlimited. Access is granted only once the DUC is approved and the training is complete.
How long access lasts
Access lasts one year from the DUC approval date. Renewal opens three months before expiry and requires a Progress Report covering work completed, scope changes, any access violations and outputs such as publications. Training must also be renewed annually. If the DUC expires before renewal is approved, access is suspended, and a new request is needed.
Browsing the data dictionary without access
You can look at what variables exist before applying. The ABCD documentation site (docs.abcdstudy.org) is public and lists DEAP among its tools. Use the documentation’s non-imaging and imaging sections to check variable names, and the ABCD Study questionnaires and protocol summary on abcdstudy.org for instruments and study procedures.
From the NIMH Data Archive to the NBDC Data Hub
Earlier ABCD releases were distributed through the NIMH Data Archive. The study’s data sharing page states that the archive stopped accepting new and renewal requests on 2 June 2025 for release 5.1 data. New requests go through NBDC. The same page notes a compute-in-place workflow for non-NIST-compliant environments was planned for Fall 2026 and has been delayed for security review, so it should be treated as planned, not live.
Strengths and limits
| Aspect | What the sources say |
|---|---|
| Strength: scale and follow-up | 11,880 children invited at ages 9-10 and tracked into young adulthood; each release covers the full cohort. |
| Strength: documentation | Public documentation covers structure, imaging, non-imaging, substudies, release notes and a changelog. |
| Limit: controlled access | Requires an approved DUC, a signing official, an active FWA and a passed 90% training assessment before access. |
| Limit: security | Data must be on systems meeting NIST SP 800-171 or ISO/IEC 27001/27002. |
| Limit: time-limited | Access and training each renew annually; access is suspended on expiry. |
If your institution is not an NIH-recognized institution with an active FWA, the eligibility rules above apply to you directly. Your grants office is the route NBDC names for questions about SO status and FWA.
Alternatives and related resources
The closest sibling is the HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study, which also publishes through the NBDC Data Hub. Compared on what each study’s own pages state (read 2026-11-07):
| Item | ABCD Study | HBCD Study |
|---|---|---|
| Funder | NIH | NIH |
| Participants | 11,880 children invited at ages 9-10 | Over 5,000 enrolled families |
| Follow-up | Adolescence into young adulthood | Pregnancy through early childhood |
| Sites | 21 research sites | 27 recruitment sites |
| Data route | NBDC Data Hub | NBDC Data Hub (HBCD data release page) |
For other neuroimaging data you can reuse, see our guides on OpenNeuro and BIDS data sharing and Allen Brain Map data sharing and licensing.
Policy context and your own data plan
If you plan to use ABCD data in a funded project, your data management plan should name the controlled-access source and its terms. See our guide to the NIH Data Management and Sharing Plan, the data sharing agreement guide, and the dictionary entries for repository citation and FAIR data principles.
FAQ
What does ABCD stand for?
Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development. The study’s website is abcdstudy.org.
Is ABCD Study data public?
No. Releases are controlled-access: you need an approved Data Use Certification and completed NBDC training.
Where do I find ABCD Study protocol and questionnaire information?
The study site abcdstudy.org carries a Protocol Summary, and docs.abcdstudy.org documents each release’s non-imaging and imaging measures.
Where do I find the latest findings?
The study’s Press Releases Archive on abcdstudy.org lists announcements; published results appear in the research literature.
How do I cite or acknowledge the study?
The documentation’s Data Use section includes an acknowledgement page, and the Info section includes a citation page. Follow the wording there for the release you used.
Sources
- ABCD Study: About, read 2026-11-07
- ABCD Study: Data Sharing, read 2026-11-07
- ABCD Study Data Documentation, read 2026-11-07
- NBDC Data Hub: Data Access Process, read 2026-11-07
- HBCD Study, read 2026-11-07
