In collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital, McLean Hospital, and Boston University, the BANDA Project is investigating structural and functional brain biomarkers related to anxiety and depression.
The project collects neuroimaging and behavioral data from adolescents (ages 14-16), following participants longitudinally to determine if MRI-derived biomarkers collected at baseline can predict longitudinal clinical outcomes. This is an NIMH funded study, and also one of the first projects to study a clinical population using data collection protocols from The Human Connectome Project.
What is my commitment?
There are three study sessions over the course of 1 year. Parents and their teen will choose one of three locations offered for study visits 1 and 3. The second session is at the MGH Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging.
Session 1: Parents and teens will separately answer questions about feelings, thoughts, and behavior in a clinical interview.
Session 2: Teens will complete standard cognitive and behavioral assessments. They will also participate in a safe brain imaging session using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology. Teens will be asked to play computer games while participating in this MRI session.
Session 3: Teens and parents will return to their Session 1 site and answer the same kind of questions regarding feelings, thoughts, and behaviors.
Notes: The first two study visits occur within two weeks of each other. After the study visits are concluded, teens are asked to complete follow-up assessments at 6 and 12 months after the last study visit. Questionnaires are sent via email at 6 months.
Location: Session 1 and 3 take place at Boston University, Massachusetts General Hospital, and/or McLean Hospital.
Compensation
Teens and parents will receive a small payment for completing each session. The total study compensation can be up to $345 for teens and $75 for parents. We are happy to schedule study visits around your schedule, including weekday evenings and weekends. To learn more about BANDA visit our website or check out our Facebook page.
