Sunday, October 14, 2012

Pediatric Imaging, Neurocognition, and Genetics - PING for short

http://ping.chd.ucsd.edu/

The overarching goal of the project is to create a large MRI and genetics data resource to be shared openly with the scientific community. The data resource will also include information about the developing mental and emotional functions of the children. Investigators on the project are studying 1400 children between the ages of 3 and 20 years so that links between genetic variation and developing patterns of brain connectivity can be examined. These data are critical for our understanding of emerging personality and mental abilities in children. One might say that PING is a study of the genetic and neural factors that contribute to individuality; understanding why we have different personalities and mental qualities is critically important for solving many problems that affect children, including mental disorders, addictions, academic problems, and learning disabilities.

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