The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Magnetic Resonance Imaging
(MRI) Study of Normal Brain Development is a landmark study in which
structural and metabolic brain development and behavior are followed
longitudinally from birth to young adulthood in a population-based sample
of healthy children. The neuropsychological assessment protocol for
children aged 6 to 18 years is described and normative data are presented
for participants in that age range (N = 385). For many measures,
raw score performance improved steeply from 6 to 10 years, decelerating
during adolescence. Sex differences were documented for Block Design (male
advantage), CVLT, Pegboard and Coding (female advantage). Household income
predicted IQ and achievement, as well as externalizing problems and social
competence, but not the other cognitive or behavioral measures.
Performance of this healthy sample was generally better than published
norms. This linked imaging-clinical/behavioral database will be an
invaluable public resource for researchers for many years to come.
(JINS, 2007, 13, 729–746.)This project is supported by the National Institute of Child
Health and Human Development (Contract N01-HD02-3343), the National
Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute of Mental Health (Contract
N01-MH9-0002), and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and
Stroke (Contracts N01-NS-9-2314, -2315, -2316, -2317, -2319 and -2320).
The views stated herein do not necessarily represent the official views of
the National Institutes of Health (National Institute of Child Health and
Human Development, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute of
Mental Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke),
or the Department of Health and Human Services, nor any other agency of
the United States government.