Researchers Embark on Long-Term Study of Brain Development

An unprecedented research project in one Virginia community aims to show how peoples’ genetics, environment, and especially their connection to others contribute to brain development and decisionmaking over a lifetime.

The Roanoke Brain Study , which begins with its first pediatric group of 200 to 300 children this fall, looks at how typically developing individuals and those with cognitive challenges like autism or attention deficit disorders interact with others.

“We’re going to watch children as they grow up in a community and make decisions,” said Sharon Landesman Ramey, who is leading the pediatric portion of the study with her husband, Craig Ramey, both distinguished research scholars at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute in Roanoke, which is conducting the study. “We don’t have a clue about some of the most important things we do as human beings: What we study when we go to college; what we think our occupations will be; how we decide to reach out to help others versus...