The developing brain has been well characterised on a larger, regional level, yet there is a lack of research into the development of the brain on a more detailed, cellular level, and what this means for our thoughts, feelings and behaviour. This longitudinal study will try to uncover these important relationships between brain microstructure and behaviour over adolescence.
We are looking for participants aged 8-14 years old for Wave 1 of the study.
This study is longitudinal and has 3 timepoints of data collection, each 24 months apart. During each visit, participants will complete 2 MRI scans, games to assess cognition, and questionnaires on their thoughts and feelings. This is expected to take up to 5 hours of research activity- but with plenty of breaks throughout!
Get £50 as a thank you for participating in each timepoint of the study + reimbursements for travel costs
What will happen if I take part?
Researchers will meet with you online and in person at Cardiff University.
The researchers will ask your parent or guardian some questions about you.
They will also ask you some questions about how you think and feel and then they will do some puzzles and games with you.
You will take part in 2 MRIs to look at your brain. We will weigh you and measure how tall you are beforehand, and you will be able to chose a film to watch while you are in the scanner.
This visit will be replicated another 2 times, each 2 years apart, so we can see how this information changes as you grow up!
What are the MRI scans like?
The scans will take place at Cardiff University’s Brain Research Imaging Centre (CURBIC).
When you arrive at the building, we will take you to see our pretend MRI scanner. You can lie in the pretend scanner to get a feel for how the real scan will look, and you can listen to a recording of the scanner noises. After this, we will ask if you are happy to go in the real scanners. You do not have to go in the scanners if you do not want to.
The scans do not hurt, and you do not have to take any medicine. Your parent or guardian can stay with you during the scans if you want them to.
You can watch a film from our list while you are in the MRI scanner. You wont be able to hear any sound, but you will be able to see the pictures and subtitles.
You will spend about two hours in the scanner all together, having different types of scans.
Below is a short VR video to give you a sense of the whole process of having an MRI scan at CUBRIC!
For additional information on CUBRIC’s scanners, please visit: Magnetic resonance imaging labs – Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre – Cardiff University
To get involved, please contact us at: BEAM@cardiff.ac.uk
Brain Exploration in Adolescent Minds 