National Institute Of Mental Health (nimh)

This study aims to understand how ketamine, a drug with rapid antidepressant effects, works in the brain. Researchers are enrolling 150 adults with major depression and healthy volunteers to receive repeated ketamine infusions while undergoing brain scans and other tests. The goa…

This study is testing whether a new computer-based therapy can make standard talk therapy more effective for children and teens with anxiety. The new therapy uses music that plays when a child looks at faces on a screen, aiming to retrain attention patterns. Researchers will comp…

This study is testing whether a new, fast-acting drug called (2R,6R)-HNK can help people with major depression who haven't gotten better with standard treatments. Fifty participants will receive intravenous infusions of either the study drug or a placebo over several weeks to see…

This study is testing two different talk therapy approaches to help children and teenagers with severe irritability and frequent temper outbursts. Researchers want to see if Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or a computer-based training program called Interpretation Bias Trainin…

This study is testing whether playing special virtual reality games can help improve thinking skills like focus, memory, and impulse control in children with ADHD. Kids aged 8-16 with ADHD will play VR games for 20 minutes a day, five days a week, for four weeks. Researchers will…

This study aims to better understand brain inflammation in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and ALS. Researchers will use PET scans to measure specific inflammation markers in the brains of 184 participants, including both patients and healthy volunteers.…

This study aims to understand the long-term course of depression, bipolar disorder, and suicide risk by re-contacting over 1,000 people who participated in past research. Participants complete online surveys and optional phone interviews about their current symptoms and treatment…

This study aims to screen and evaluate people to better understand brain and behavior conditions like autism. It will assess up to 5,000 participants, including healthy volunteers and those at risk for disorders, to see if they qualify for other research studies. The screening in…

This study aims to understand how negative feelings like stress, pain, and hunger affect the brain and change the way people make decisions. Researchers will recruit 900 healthy adults and temporarily induce these states using methods like watching videos, solving math problems, …

This study is testing a new, advanced type of brain scanner that measures the tiny magnetic fields produced by brain activity. Researchers are comparing this new scanner to an older model to see if it can map brain activity more precisely. Healthy adult volunteers will wear a spe…

This study aims to understand how ketamine, a drug known to relieve depression symptoms within hours, works in the brain. Researchers will test whether blocking a specific brain receptor (called AMPA) reduces ketamine's antidepressant effects. About 70 adults with major depressio…

This study aims to better understand how the healthy brain produces and uses its key chemical messengers. Researchers will use a special type of brain scan (MRS) to measure the natural production rates of glutamate and GABA in adults. The goal is to improve scanning techniques to…

This study aims to understand the connection between physical activity, sleep, and mental health in people with and without mood disorders like bipolar disorder and depression. Over 1,200 participants, including patients and their healthy family members, will wear activity monito…

This study is not a treatment trial. Its main purpose is to screen a large number of people—including those with mood or anxiety disorders and healthy volunteers—to understand these conditions better and to find suitable participants for future research studies. Participants unde…

This study aims to understand if brain inflammation is linked to major depression. Researchers will use special PET brain scans to measure levels of two inflammation-related enzymes (COX-1 and COX-2) in 64 adults with depression and healthy volunteers. The goal is to gather knowl…

This study aims to understand which parts of the brain help us pay attention to what we see. Researchers will compare adults who have specific brain damage (like from a stroke) with healthy adults using memory tests and brain scans. The goal is to learn how brain injuries affect …

This study aims to understand if drinking alcohol increases the activity of a specific protein (PDE4B) in the brain. Researchers will use brain scans (PET and MRI) on about 30 healthy social drinkers, once while sober and once after receiving alcohol. The goal is to gather basic …

This study aims to improve a special type of MRI scan that can measure chemicals in the brain and muscles. Researchers will test and refine these scanning techniques on 300 healthy volunteers over ten years. The goal is to create better tools for future research into psychiatric …

This study aims to understand the biology of alcohol use disorder by scanning the brain. Researchers will measure levels of a specific protein (PDE4B) in 30 adults with the disorder, first during withdrawal and again after 3-4 weeks of abstinence. The goal is to see if this prote…

This study aims to understand how anxiety affects the developing brain in children and teenagers. Researchers will use brain scans and thinking tasks to compare youth with anxiety disorders to healthy youth, both before and after they receive standard treatments like therapy or m…

This study aims to understand how specific genetic conditions affect brain development in children. Researchers will use brain scans and thinking tests to track changes over time in children with Williams syndrome, 7q11.23 duplication syndrome, and healthy children for comparison…

This is an observational study aiming to understand how brain development relates to impulsive and compulsive behaviors. Researchers will enroll 1,100 people aged 6 to 80, including those with typical development and conditions like ADHD, OCD, and autism. They will use interviews…

This study aims to understand how people with depression or bipolar disorder respond to their regular treatments. Researchers will observe 500 adults already receiving care, tracking their symptoms weekly for about 12 weeks. The goal is to find patterns that might help predict wh…

This long-term study aims to understand how the hormonal changes of puberty affect brain development, behavior, and stress response in healthy children. Researchers will track about 370 boys and girls from age 8 to 17, using brain scans, hormone tests, and behavioral assessments …

This research study aims to better understand how the human brain recognizes what objects are and where they are located. Researchers will use brain scans (MRI) and safe, non-invasive brain stimulation techniques (TMS/tES) on healthy volunteers while they perform simple computer …

This study aims to understand how sleep patterns are linked to brain development in young children. Researchers will observe 244 children, including both healthy kids and those at risk for or diagnosed with neurodevelopmental conditions. They will use overnight sleep studies and …

This study aims to develop better brain scanning techniques to understand mood and anxiety disorders like depression. Researchers will use MRI scans and thinking tests to compare brain structure and activity in 300 healthy volunteers and 90 people with major depression. The goal …

This study aims to understand how a specific brain chemical (GABA) and brain connections relate to how people with autism process sound and language. Researchers will use brain scans and a safe, non-invasive magnetic stimulation technique on adolescents with autism and healthy yo…

This study aims to understand how different parts of the brain work when people perform everyday mental tasks. Researchers will use brain scanning technology (fMRI, MEG, EEG) to measure blood flow and activity in the brains of healthy volunteers as they do tasks involving vision,…

This study aims to better understand Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) and its severe form, Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD). Researchers will recruit 1,600 women to complete interviews, daily mood tracking, and hormone tests to learn what causes these symptoms. The goal is to ga…

This study aims to see if brain inflammation is present in people with Long COVID who have ongoing neurological symptoms like brain fog, headaches, and mood changes. Researchers will use a special brain scan (PET) with a tracer to look for inflammation in about 60 adults, compari…

This study aims to understand if a specific enzyme linked to brain inflammation is higher in people with Alzheimer's disease or mild cognitive impairment. Researchers will use special brain imaging scans (PET and MRI) on 90 participants aged 50 and older, including those with the…

This early-stage study is testing a new radioactive tracer for brain and body scans in 40 healthy volunteers. The tracer is designed to attach to a specific brain protein (PDE4D) that researchers believe plays a role in depression and Alzheimer's disease. The goal is to see if th…

This study aims to better understand severe mood and behavioral problems in children and adolescents. Researchers will observe and test children with chronic irritability, frequent temper outbursts, and related conditions, as well as healthy volunteers, over many years. The goal …

This large research study aims to better understand what causes depression in teenagers and to test effective treatments. It will enroll 4,100 participants, including teens with depression and healthy volunteers, to observe them for up to two years using interviews, computer task…

This study aims to understand the biology of major depression by using a special brain scan (PET scan) to measure levels of an enzyme called PDE4B. Researchers want to see if people experiencing a depressive episode have lower levels of this enzyme in their brains compared to hea…

This study aims to understand how the brain responds to frustration in healthy adults. Researchers will use brain scanning technology (MRI and MEG) while participants play a computer game designed to be frustrating. The goal is to map which brain circuits become active during fru…

This study aims to understand what happens in the brain when someone thinks about or attempts suicide. Researchers will compare brain scans, sleep patterns, and blood tests from people with different levels of suicidal thoughts to healthy volunteers. Some participants currently i…

This study aims to better understand childhood behavioral, psychiatric, and developmental disorders by observing affected individuals and their family members. Researchers will examine up to 1,000 people of all ages with conditions like autism or other neurodevelopmental disorder…