Official Title Learning Interactions Made for Everyone (LIME)

Purpose

This study will examine activities of caregivers and their preschool aged child over a 12-week period. Caregivers will track learning activities with their child over the 12-weeks. Some participants will be asked to engage in additional learning activities with their child. Researchers will conduct assessments with the child before and after the 12-week program, as well as brief follow-ups 3-, 6-, and 12- months after completion. The total duration of participation in this study is up to 24 hours. The study will identify strategies in home-based learning activities and inform development of interventions to improve school readiness among children.

Could this study be right for you?

Child is minimally verbal in English.

Caregiver understands enough English to understand intervention materials.

Child does not have a severe intellectual disability.

Caregiver and child reside in the greater Columbus area.

Age Range

42 - 57 months

Official Title Variation in Thoracic and Abdominal Shapes and their Influence on Posture and Seat Belt Fit for Adolescent Females

Purpose

We aim to understand how torso shape and bra design influence good vs. poor seat belt fit, posture, and comfort in cars.

Could this study be right for you?

To participate, you must be female, between 10–21 years old, in good health, a current bra-wearer, and willing to attend one 3-hour appointment at the OSU campus in Graves Hall (333 W. 10th Ave, Columbus, OH, 43210).

Age Range

10 - 21 years

Official Title The Development of Semantic Organization

Purpose

We are currently in the process of conducting a 5-year National Institutes of Health-funded longitudinal study on semantic and language development, specifically focusing on how children learn new words and understand their meanings. Our goal is to not only examine language learning but also how these processes evolve as children grow.

In this study, we will follow two hundred 4-year-old junior scientists as they participate in fun, interactive word-learning and language activities. Over the course of the study, participants will visit our lab twice a year, each lasting around 60-90 minutes (including breaks), to engage in a series of playful games with a research assistant designed to explore how children comprehend and retain new vocabulary. Additionally, your child will have the opportunity to wear a LENA recorder—a small, wearable device that tracks the number of words your child hears throughout the day, similar to a Fitbit but for words!

 

Could this study be right for you?

• Child must be monolingual
• Not born premature
• No developmental delays
• Can give a verbal response
• Normal to corrected vision

Age Range

4 - 4 years

Official Title Neural Biomarkers of Sensory Symptoms in Autism

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to understand sensory processing in children on the autism spectrum, Using EEG, we will look at brainwaves while children play different computer games. We will also have children play some paper-pencil games during their visit to our lab. We hope to better understand sensory experiences and support autistic people in ways that celebrate their unique strengths.

Could this study be right for you?

Inclusion criteria for the autism group are

• Diagnosis of autism from a licensed psychologist based on the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised or the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS),
• Aged 8 - 12 years old
• Normal/corrected vision/hearing, and IQ > 65. 19 Children taking stimulant medications will be included in the study but will be required to be off medication for 24 (for short-acting preparations) to 48 h (long-acting preparations) prior to the visit 

Inclusion criteria for the age-matched TD control group include:

• No concerns/diagnoses of any neurodevelopmental, learning, or mental health conditions 

Age Range

8 - 12 years

Official Title Developing Rumination-Focused Treatment to Reduce Risk for Depression Recurrence (RDR) in Adolescence (RuMeChange)

Purpose

We are conducting a study looking at how therapy strategies can help teenagers stay healthy, reduce rumination, or overthinking and worrying, and prevent depression relapse. If eligible, the teenager would complete assessments which include clinical interviews over Zoom, surveys, cognitive testing, and an MRI.

A parent/guardian is required to enroll in the study and will complete questionnaires and a clinical interview as well.

Could this study be right for you?

Inclusion Criteria:

• 14-17 years of age at enrollment
• Youth assent and parent consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Metal braces, tattoos with metal
• Claustrophobia
• Current pregnancy

Age Range

14 - 17 years

Official Title Disrupted eye gaze perception as a biobehavioral marker of social dysfunction: An RDoC investigation

Purpose

This study seeks to understand social functioning across mental health conditions. Social dysfunction is very common in people with mental health conditions; it can negatively impact employment, independent living, and maintaining meaningful relationships. This research is being done to learn if a person's ability to process visual information (including distinguishing other people's eye gaze direction) is a clue to social functioning regardless of diagnosis. This research will identify clinical and brain characteristics in relation to social functioning.

Could this study be right for you?

Patients:

• Diagnosis of a schizophrenia-spectrum disorder or autism spectrum disorder
• Receiving treatment in a mental health or primary care setting
• Experience difficulty in social functioning

Health Volunteers: 

• No history of past or current mental health disorder diagnosis
• Experience no difficulty in social functioning

Age Range

14 - 30 years

Official Title Preschooler's Language Use and Media (PLUM) Study

Purpose

This study is designed to investigate media’s role in language development during early childhood. The goal of the proposed work is to examine the relation between the quantity of children’s media use and their language development trajectories, as well as how characteristics of media use (i.e., parent-child joint engagement, interactive media features, and educational content) predict growth in language over time. 

Could this study be right for you?

• Children 3 to 3.5 years of age (36 to 42 months).

Age Range

36 - 42 months

Official Title A Single-Stage, Adaptive, Open-Label Dose Escalation Safety Study of Adeno-Associated Virus Encoding Human Aromatic L-Amino Acid Decarboxylase (AAV2-hAADC) Administered by MR- guided Infusion into the Midbrain in Pediatric Patients with AADC Deficiency

Purpose

The overall objective of this study is to determine the safety and efficacy of AAV2-hAADC delivered to the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) in children with aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) deficiency, and to see if there is a demonstration of effective restoration of AADC function by assays of CSF neurotransmitter metabolites and F-DOPA PET imaging, as allowed by subject’s ability to travel to undergo follow-up visits.

Could this study be right for you?

Inclusion Criteria

• Diagnosis of AADC deficiency from genetic test and CSF/blood enzyme test
• Failed to derive adequate benefit from standard medical therapy as judged by presence of residual oculugyric crises and developmental delay.
• Documented history of motor developmental delay, with inability to walk independently without support by age 18 months.
• Both parents (or legal guardians) must give their consent for their child’s participation in the study unless (i.) one parent is deceased, unknown or incompetent; (ii.) one parent is not reasonably available; or (iii.) one parent has responsibility for the care and custody of the child.

Inclusion Criteria varies, please contact Study Coordinator for more information.

Exclusion Criteria

• Presence of other significant medical or neurological conditions that would create an unacceptable operative or anesthetic risk.
• Previous stereotactic neurosurgery.
• Coagulopathy, or need for ongoing anticoagulant therapy.
• Receipt of any investigational agent within 60 days prior to Baseline and during study participation.

Exclusion Criteria varies, please contact Study Coordinator for more information.

Age Range

2 years and up

Official Title Understanding the Neurodevelopmental Effects of Youth Tackle Football Participation

Purpose

In this study we are aiming to identify risk factors for higher exposure to football-related neurotrauma in youth tackle football players and to determine the effects of football-related neurotrauma exposure on neurodevelopment in children with no previous tackle football participation.

For this specific posting, we are looking for boys ages 8-12 who are non-athletes or athletes who play non-contact sports to serve as control subjects for our fMRI study. 

Could this study be right for you?

We are looking for boys ages 8-12 who are either non-athletes or do not participate in any contact sports.

• Boys must have no metal implanted in the body
• Have no prior history of head trauma
• Have no serious health or mental health diagnoses
• Must not have a fear of enclosed spaces

Age Range

8 - 12 years

Official Title Exploring the Connectivity and Functional Organization of the Infant Brain

Purpose

The purpose of the study is to investigate how the brain that we are each born with leads to our own unique behavior later in life, and the similarities and differences between maternal and child brains. We are studying infants prenatally and postnatally, following up with them as they grow and develop, and studying their mothers to understand how similar/different they are to their child.

Could this study be right for you?

• Infants under 3 years of age, and pregnant persons who are at least 20 weeks pregnant
• All participants must have no metal implanted in the body
• Have no significant health conditions or history of serious mental illness
• Not suffer from a (fear of enclosed spaces)
• Pregnancies must be without complication.

Age Range

Up to 40 years