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March 28, 2024

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Vanderbilt Recruiting Teens for Research Study

Help researchers understand how mental health symptoms affect the developing brain.

Amid the ongoing mental health crisis among teenagers β€” in particular adolescent girls β€” researchers want answers in order to find solutions. The BRAINS Lab at Vanderbilt University is currently seeking Middle Tennessee adolescents and young adults, ages 12 to 23 years, to participate in a paid research study. The goal is to learn how brain activity in regions related to cognition and emotion may impact mental health among teens.

About the Vanderbilt research study

If you think your teen may be interested in participating, he will first need to be cleared for eligibility via a self-report online questionnaire followed by a brief phone screening. This step will earn your child a $10 gift card.

If selected for the study, your teen will participate in the following:

  • A Zoom interview
  • Answering brief questions about mood on their phone three times a day for one week
  • An in-person session at Vanderbilt University involving EEG recording (measures brain activity with a cap placed on the head), and cognitive tasks (memory games)
  • A separate in-person session at Vanderbilt University Medical Center involving an MRI scan (takes a picture of your teen’s brain)

For participation, your teen will receive a $100 gift card. The study is recruiting now for evening and weekend appointments available through the summer.

To learn more, email brains.lab@vanderbilt.edu or fill this interest form here.

 

About the Author

Michael Aldrich

Michael Aldrich is Nashville Parent's Managing Editor and a Middle Tennessee arts writer. He and his wife, Alison, are the proud parents of 4-year-old Ezra and baby Norah.