DLPFC: The Decade circLe CCNP Family Cohort

Long-term longitudinal studies of brain development spanning across multiple life stages remain limited, even as landmark projects have advanced our understanding of brain maturation. Current key initiatives such as the NIH Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) study of Normal Brain Development [1], the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) cohort study [2], and the European IMAGEN study [3] have significantly yield significant insights into neurodevelopmental trajectories. However, their predominant focus on Western populations and specific developmental periods leaves critical gaps in characterizing lifespan neural development across diverse cultures.

To address these limitations and gain insights into population neuroscience, we propose the Decade circLe CCNP Family Cohort (DLPFC) study, a family-centered extension of the development phase of the Chinese Color Nest Project (devCCNP) [4, 5]. This study will build on data collection initiated in Chongqing twelve years ago (2013–2017) [6] and investigate spatiotemporal signatures of long-term brain-mind development from childhood through adolescence and into adulthood (6–33 years).

The devCCNP used an accelerated longitudinal design to track 192 typically developing Chinese children and adolescents (baseline age: 6–18 years) across three evaluation waves at 15-month intervals (Fig. 1A). It acquired multidimensional data encompassing physiological measures (height, weight, head circumference, blood pressure), psychological profiles (intelligence, emotion, personality), behavioral assessments, and neuroimaging phenotypes (Fig. 1B, left panel). This efficient and diverse design facilitates discovery science of brain-mind development in China [7–13]. Notably, the devCCNP team has revealed considerable diversity in neurodevelopmental trajectories among school-age children and adolescents and identified distinct developmental patterns between Chinese and American children and adolescents [5, 8], highlighting both shared and culturally specific characteristics. These findings underscore the need for national initiatives such as the Chinese Child Brain Development (CCBD) cohort [14]. Moreover, they emphasize the significant role of genetic and environmental factors, such as education, family structure, and social expectations, in shaping brain development. As these factors continue to evolve dynamically into adulthood, extending longitudinal neurodevelopmental follow-ups beyond adolescence and early adulthood is essential.

Fig. 1. Population neuroscience design of DLPFC.

A The accelerated longitudinal design of developmental stage of the Chinese Color Nest Project (devCCNP) including three (one baseline and two follow-ups) waves will be updated after 12 years by the Decade circLe CCNP Family Cohort (DLPFC) using the same design. B The assessments employed by devCCNP (black) will be updated and extended to the new genetic and environmental assessments by DLPFC (blue).

The DLPFC study, launching in 2025 (Fig. 1A), will extend the follow-up of devCCNP participants, most of whom are now transitioning into adulthood. Although adolescence marks a significant phase of brain-mind development [9, 12], research has consistently shown that the human brain morphology continues to mature until nearly the age of 30 [15]. To capture these later-stage changes, the DLPFC will conduct three additional waves of assessments between 2025 and 2029 (Fig. 1A, right panel). This will enable a more comprehensive characterization of neurodevelopmental trajectories during the critical transition into adulthood, incorporating advanced measurements using population neuroscience methodology (Fig. 1B, right panel) alongside the original devCCNP assessments (Fig. 1B, left panel). The neuroimaging methods from the original devCCNP cohort, including structural MRI (sMRI) and resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI), will be retained in both standard and advanced versions (e.g., multi-band multi-echo imaging sequences). Additionally, the DLPFC study will incorporate new imaging technologies such as diffusion-weighted MRI (dw-MRI) and naturalistic/task fMRI (nt-fMRI). The DLPFC aims to serve as an open resource for advancing our understanding of brain development factors. This includes elucidating the genetic, epigenetic, and hormonal factors that influence brain maturation, their interactions with environmental exposures, and the crucial role of social and cultural factors that shape brain development. To support this, the DLPFC study will add genetic, bioinformatic, geographical, as well as environmental assessments. Specifically, it will integrate retrospective data on family dynamics, life stressors, and socioeconomic changes through structured interviews and questionnaires, enabling analysis of how these factors interact with brain development. Recognizing the importance of inter-generational influences, the DLPFC study will also enroll participants’ immediate family members (parents, spouses, offspring) to investigate transgenerational effects and relational impacts on neurodevelopmental outcomes.

As the first long-term family-centered brain-mind developmental cohort, the DLPFC study will employ modern artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to enhance workflow efficiency while keeping all key decision-making under human supervision [16]. Our AI-assisted methodology will integrate deep learning tools across the research process, including volunteer recruitment, generation of experimental materials, assessment design, data collection and management as well as analytics. AI will also be applied to predictive modeling of complex, multidimensional phenotypes and their translation to health outcomes. Built-in human oversight and fairness audits will guard against potential AI-related biases or hallucinations, ensuring robust and equitable results [17]. This approach harnesses the DLPFC study with powerful tools to gain unprecedented insight into the complexity of human lifespan development through the lens of population neuroscience.

This resource will be openly shared via the Chinese Color Nest Data Community (CCNDC, https://ccnp.scidb.cn/en) at the national Science Data Bank, with the goal of bridging neuroscience with policy. By facilitating exploration of the interplay among biological, psychological, social, and geographical factors, the DLPFC study aims to inform actionable strategies for education and mental health. The study holds transformative potential to redefine our understanding of the principles and diversity of neurodevelopment, ultimately fostering healthier and more equitable outcomes in both local and global contexts.

While the DLPFC and devCCNP offer unique and valuable insights into brain development, several potential challenges and limitations must be acknowledged. One primary concern is participant attrition over the long-term course of the study. Longitudinal studies, especially those spanning multiple years, often struggle to retain participants as individuals may relocate, undergo life changes, or become less motivated to continue. Attrition lead to biased results if dropouts differ significantly from those who remain in the study. To mitigate this issue, the DLPFC study will implement several strategies to enhance retention, including regular follow-ups, flexible scheduling (evening or weekend sessions), and flexible testing locations for assessments that do not require MRI. Moreover, open communication channels (e.g., phone, email, social media and community culture) will help to establish a trusting relationship with both participants and their families. Additionally, key components of our approach are offering incentives for continued participation and ensuring that participants feel valued and included. Furthermore, we will monitor retention rates, analyze dropout patterns for attrition biases, and implement targeted strategies to maintain a representative sample.

Author contributions

Conception and Design: ZZ, NY. Initial Drafting of the Manuscript: ZZ. Critical Review and Editing of the Manuscript: ZZ, NY.

Funding

CCNP team has received funding support from the STI 2030 - the major projects of the Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology (2021ZD0200500), the Major Fund for International Collaboration of National Natural Science Foundation of China (81220108014), the Start-up Funds for Leading Talents at Beijing Normal University, the Major Project of National Social Science Foundation of China (20&ZD296,24&ZD251), the Key-Area Research and Development Program of Guangdong Province (2019B030335001), the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission (Z161100002616023, Z181100001518003), the National Basic Research (973) Program (2015CB351702), the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Key Research Program (KSZD-EW-TZ-002), the CAS-NWO Programme (153111KYSB20160020), the Beijing United Imaging Research Institute of Intelligent Imaging and the Science Fundation of Hebei Normal University (L2021B43).

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.