Scientists have long recognized that getting enough sleep during childhood can benefit developing brains. However, the underlying brain mechanisms are not well understood. And although experts say that children ages 6 to 12 should get at least nine hours of sleep each day, it’s been unclear how less sleep might affect a child’s brain. To get some answers, a research team led by Dr. Ze Wang of the University of Maryland set out to see how lack of sleep affects brain structure and other outcomes. They took advantage of data being collected in NIH’s ongoing Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. ABCD has enrolled nearly 12,000 volunteers at ages 9 or 10 from research sites across the country. Participants’ health, brain structure and function, and other factors will be followed for a decade as they move from adolescence into young adulthood.
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