The major aim of the project was to initiate a novel database – one that would eventually reveal a map depicting the genomic landscape of the developing human brain – as a resource to the scientific community. This could lead to earlier detection of incipient disorders and point to new ways of preventing or minimizing their impact. It is hoped that the data from PING will shed light on why certain genetic variants can increase this risk. Unfortunately, development in some individuals is accompanied by the onset of mental disorders, addictions, or other behavioral problems. The ongoing impact of the study is likely to be very broad - it will provide information that could help to enhance educational outcomes and to identify targets for early interventions that could prevent negative developmental outcomes in children.
Understanding why we have different personalities and mental qualities is critically important for solving many problems that affect children. One might say that PING was a study of the genetic and neural factors that contribute to individuality. This made it possible to search for links between genetic variation and developing patterns of brain connectivity and to examine the implications for emerging personality and mental abilities. Since it is known that structural and functional connectivity in the brain undergoes continuous remodeling during childhood, the investigators studied 1400 children between the ages of 3 and 20 years. The goal was to contribute to our understanding of the genetic basis of individual differences in brain structure and connectivity, cognition, and personality.
The PING study had unique aims and unprecedented scope. This project serves as a testament to the growing importance of truly interdisciplinary research that spans departments and divisions of the University investigators in 6 different UCSD departments participated in PING. The project was coordinated within UCSD’s CHD, and the advanced neuroimaging work of the project was based in UCSD’s MultiModal Imaging Laboratory and directed by Anders Dale, a Professor of Radiology and Neurosciences and CHD affiliate. Other sites included UCLA, UC Davis, Kennedy Krieger Institute/Johns Hopkins, Sacker Institute/Cornell University, University of Massachusetts, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard, and Yale. UCSD Professors Terry Jernigan and Anders Dale were two of the project leaders, and Professors Linda Chang and Thomas Ernst of the University of Hawaii, as well as Scripps Genomics’ Sarah Murray led other components of the project.
PING involved 10 sites throughout the country and 5 project leaders. The study named PING (Pediatric Imaging, Neurocognition, and Genetics) represented one of NIDA’s Signature Projects. In late September, 2009, the UCSD Center for Human Development (CHD) received the news that a grant of over $9 million, provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), had been awarded to CHD researchers by the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) with co-funding from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute on Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
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