Pediatric Neuroimaging

Launched by NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING (NIA) · Apr 4, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial, called Pediatric Neuroimaging, is studying how the brain changes during puberty, which is a time of significant growth and development for children. The researchers want to understand what happens in the brain before, during, and after this important stage of life. The trial is open to healthy children aged 9 to 14 years who are willing to participate and have the consent of their parent or guardian.

Participants will visit the clinic twice, with each visit lasting up to 4 hours. During the first visit, children will have a physical exam, blood tests, and a practice session for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan to help them feel comfortable. In the second visit, they will have a real MRI, more blood tests, and additional assessments to check their growth and development, such as an x-ray of their hand and wrist and a DEXA scan to measure body composition. This study is important because it will help researchers learn more about brain development during puberty, which could lead to better understanding of health in children and adolescents.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• * INCLUSION CRITERIA:
• In order to be eligible to participate in this study, an individual must meet all of the following criteria:
• • Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study.
• • Male or female, 9 to 14 years of age.
• • In good general health
• • Ability of parent/guardian to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document.
• • Ability of participant to participate in the assent process and willingness to sign a written informed assent document.
• EXCLUSION CRITERIA:
• An individual who meets any of the following criteria will be excluded from participation in this study:
• • Any known brain abnormalities (e.g. tumor, periventricular leukomalacia, microcephaly) or history of medical conditions known to affect cerebral micro or macro-structural integrity (e.g., epilepsy, history of stroke, head injury with a loss of consciousness of one hour or more).
• • History neurodevelopmental delay or disorder, learning disability, intellectual disability (formerly referred to as mental retardation), autism spectrum disorders, and attention18 deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)), as evaluated history, physical and by the KSADSCOMP).
• • History of psychiatric disorder as evaluated by the KSADS-COMP.
• • History of prematurity (\< 32 weeks gestational age).
• • History of endocrine abnormalities, including diagnosed disorders of thyroid, growth, and precocious or delayed puberty
• • History of major medical conditions or chronic medical conditions. Examples include neurological disorders, medical or genetic conditions with associated neurological manifestations, malnutrition, conditions raising risk of micronutrient or macronutrient deficiencies (e.g. inflammatory bowel disease), untreated chronic anemia, cardiovascular disease, significant lung disease (e.g. bronchiectasis), significant liver disease, significant kidney disease, significant autoimmune condition, and chronic infections (e.g. HIV, hepatitis B).
• • Pregnancy.
• • Not eligible to have an MRI as per the MRI eligibility form and the safety standards of the NIA 3T MRI center.
• • Presence of hardware (e.g. orthodontic braces) that may interfere with MRI data quality.
• • Any other condition which in the investigator s opinion may adversely affect the subject s ability to complete the study or its measures or which may pose significant risk to the subject.