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Transforming the understanding
and treatment of mental illnesses.

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Adults

Depression and Brain Imaging Studies

Enrolling locally from the Washington, D.C. metro region

Researchers need people who are depressed to volunteer for a research study looking at the brain.

A Family Study, What Impacts Mood, Sleep, and Energy?

Enrolling locally from the Washington, D.C. metro region

This research study is enrolling people to help us understand how physical activity, daily rhythms, and light affect mental health. 

Attention and Emotional Memory

Enrolling locally from the Washington, D.C. metro region

Researchers are looking for healthy volunteers to help us learn more about how the brain works. We need to learn more about how the brain works so that we can learn more about how brains work in people with mood and anxiety disorders.

Brain and Body Imaging Studies

Enrolling locally from the Washington, D.C. metro region

Several investigational studies are measuring proteins in the brain and  body using Positron Emission Tomography (PET) technology to better understand the biological basis of mental illness and to eventually pave the way for new treatments.

Brain and Cognition Research Study

Enrolling locally from the Washington, D.C. metro region

Researchers are enrolling healthy volunteers for an outpatient research study to learn more about how the brain works.

Brain Imaging and Depression Studies

Enrolling locally from the Washington, D.C. metro region

Researchers need people who are depressed to volunteer for a research study looking at the brain.

Brain Imaging Studies

Enrolling locally from the Washington, D.C. metro region

Several research studies are measuring proteins in the brain using Positron Emission Tomography (PET) technology to better understand the biological basis of mental illness and to eventually pave the way for new treatments.

Depression & Transcranial Electric Stimulation Therapy (TEST)

Enrolling nationally from around the country

Researchers are testing a new type of non-invasive brain stimulation treatment to see if it is safe and potentially helpful to treat depression symptoms.

Depression Evaluations for Medication and Brain Imaging Studies

Enrolling nationally from around the country

This study screens for various inpatient and outpatient studies that investigate the brain and experimental medications (such as ketamine) to quickly lift severe and hard-to-treat depressive symptoms.

Depression, Experimental ECT and Brain Imaging

Enrolling nationally from around the country

This research study is testing a new type of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) to see if it is a safe and effective method to rapidly reduce and treat depression. With this new type of ECT we decrease the strength of the electric pulse to see if that causes less memory side effects than regular ECT.  We use brain imaging to better understand how the new treatment affects the brain and how this relates to changes in depression or memory.

Depression, Repeated Doses of Ketamine, and Neuroimaging

Enrolling nationally from around the country

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the rapid and sustained antidepressant effects of repeated doses of ketamine in the brain. We want to learn how ketamine affects areas of the brain important in regulating mood and if there are unique signatures that could help predict who may respond to the drug. Also, we want to see if repeated doses of ketamine are safe and effective in treating the symptoms of depression.

Depression, TMS, Psychotherapy and Brain Function

Enrolling nationally from around the country

This research study seeks depressed participants to test the effects of the combination of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and psychotherapy on brain function.

How Emotional States affect Decision-Making

Enrolling locally from the Washington, D.C. metro region

How we feel can impact the choices we make. Feelings of sadness, stress, or pain can change our behavior. Researchers want to learn more about the choices we make when feeling bad.

Investigating the Genetics of Bipolar Disorder in those affected and their family members

Enrolling nationally from around the country

Researchers are looking for genes that may affect a person's chances of developing bipolar disorder. You can participate in this research study if you are over 18, have a bipolar diagnosis, or have a family member with bipolar disorder.

Memories and How the Brain Works

Enrolling locally from the Washington, D.C. metro region

Researchers are enrolling healthy volunteers for an outpatient research study to learn about the brain. A part of the study evaluates how the brain activates and represents memories. Participants will watch videos created in the “1 Second Everyday App” during a brain scan (MRI) and again during a MEG (magnetoencephalography) scan.

Menopause and Mood

Enrolling locally from the Washington, D.C. metro region

Researchers are working to understand depression related to the menopause transition. This placebo controlled research study will test whether an experimental medication, Lily compound LY500307, can prevent depression that may occur after suddenly stopping Estrogen Therapy (ET). This drug acts like estrogen, but has a more limited range of effects.

Neural and Psychological Mechanisms of Pain Perception

Enrolling locally from the Washington, D.C. metro region

People feel different levels of pain. These differences are caused by social, cultural, and biological factors. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health are trying to better understand the different factors that impact pain and how people experience pain.

NIMH Family Study of Health and Behavior

Enrolling locally from the Washington, D.C. metro region

The major goal of this study is to examine how mood disorders, anxiety disorders and migraine run in families. We study both genetic and environmental factors that may contribute to these conditions.

Perimenopause: An Observational Study

Enrolling locally from the Washington, D.C. metro region

This is an observational study for perimenopausal depression in women between the ages of 40 and 60. The purpose of this study is to investigate mood and behavioral changes in the time period surrounding and including menopause.

PET Imaging Evaluating Novel Inflammatory Biomarkers

Enrolling locally from the Washington, D.C. metro region

Inflammation can play a role in diseases. Researchers are using whole-body positron emission tomography (PET) imaging to measure and detect the biomarkers of inflammation.

PMS Evaluation Study

Enrolling locally from the Washington, D.C. metro region

The purpose of this study is to identify and describe the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS).Women between the ages of 18 and 50 who experience PMS symptoms will be asked to complete clinical interviews, self-rating scales, and evaluations of mood. Your participation in this study will help researchers determine if you are eligible to participate in additional studies exploring the causes of, and treatment for PMS.

PMS: Studying the Possible Causes

Enrolling locally from the Washington, D.C. metro region

If you are a woman between 18 and 50 who experiences premenstrual syndrome (PMS), you may be eligible to help researchers investigate what causes it. This study explores possible causes of PMS by using a medication to stop the menstrual cycle temporarily. After the menstrual cycle is stopped, researchers will add back, in sequence, estrogen, and progesterone. The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of estrogen and progesterone on mood and behavior in women with PMS.

Schizophrenia and the Brain, Inpatient Study

Enrolling nationally from around the country

The National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland, invites qualifying adults who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder to participate in an inpatient research study at the NIH Clinical Center. In this study, researchers will be evaluating how the brain works in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia to better understand the underlying causes of this illness.

Still Depressed? NIH Research Study is Testing a New Antidepressant

Enrolling nationally from around the country

Antidepressant drugs can take weeks or months to work. They also do not work in up to 30% of people with depression. Researchers are studying new treatments. This research study is testing an experimental drug, TS-161, to see if it helps improve depression symptoms.

Study of the Brain, Thinking and Memory

Enrolling locally from the Washington, D.C. metro region

This part of the facial recognition study is enrolling healthy adults without psychiatric conditions, between the ages of 18 and 35, who are in good medical health, and have a bad memory for faces. The overall purpose of the study is to learn about the brain, thinking and memory in people with and without autism spectrum disorders.

Suicide and the Brain

Enrolling nationally from around the country

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) researchers seek adults 18 to 70, who have a history of attempted suicide but are not currently suicidal, for a study of suicide and brain function. Participation includes up to seven days as an inpatient at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Procedures include blood tests, medical evaluations, brain imaging, sleep studies and psychiatric interviews. Participants do not need to stop their current medications. Compensation and transportation are provided. Pregnant women and individuals with serious medical conditions are not eligible.

Suicide is a serious public health problem

Enrolling nationally from around the country

To learn more about what happens in the brain when someone has thought about or attempted suicide, researchers study a comparison group of people without suicidal thoughts.

The NIMH Genetic Study of Schizophrenia

Enrolling nationally from around the country

If you or someone in your family is 18 years old or older and has been diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (depressed type), you may be able to participate in a genetic study that looks for genes in families. In order for family members to participate, the person with schizophrenia must be willing and able to participate. Eligible family members participate in an interview and contribute a sample of blood for genetic analysis. If you have schizophrenia, and if possible, your sibling, you may qualify to participate in this study. There is no change in medication involved.

Thinking and Memory Problems in People With HIV

Enrolling locally from the Washington, D.C. metro region

This research study seeks to understand how the HIV infection affects the brain, moods, memory, thinking and concentration. Researchers will evaluate the relationship among brain inflammation, protein function and MND; and how HIV infection may cause problems with blood vessel function and contribute to thinking and mood disorders, such as early dementia and depression.

TMS & Brain Activity

Enrolling locally from the Washington, D.C. metro region

How does brain activity impact transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) response? 

TMS and Brain Function

Enrolling locally from the Washington, D.C. metro region

This research study seeks healthy adult participants to explore how transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) affects the brain. TMS is a non-invasive method which uses a magnet placed outside the head to stimulate precise locations inside the brain.

Trisomy X Research Study of Children & Young Adults

Enrolling nationally from around the country

This research study will help all of us better understand behavior and mental health in children and young adults with Trisomy X. The study is currently enrolling children and young adults ages 6 to 25 with Trisomy X.

Understanding the brain, mood, memory, and thinking

Enrolling locally from the Washington, D.C. metro region

This research study seeks to learn about the brain, moods, memory, thinking and concentration in healthy adults and compare them to those who have HIV infections.

Women with a History of Postpartum Depression: The Effects of Hormones in Postpartum Mood Disorders

Enrolling locally from the Washington, D.C. metro region

If you have ever suffered from postpartum depression (PPD) following childbirth, we would like you to call for information about participation in our study. The study is designed to determine if your PPD was caused by hormonal changes during or after pregnancy. This study will replicate a hormonal state of pregnancy and the 6-week period following delivery. Mood symptoms and hormone levels will be measured throughout the study.