Frequently Asked Questions

1. What should I expect on my first visit?
2. What will I get for participating?
3. What makes you unable to be in a PediMIND research study?
4. What is an MRI?
5. What is non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI)?
6. I don't have a history of NSSI, can I still participate?
7. What is a healthy control?

All PediMIND studies start with an explanation of the study, answering of questions, and written permission to be in the study (consent). 

Then, you will complete an interview about your feelings and behavior. You will also complete a brief IQ test (word games and other problems). We will use this information to confirm you fit into our study. All families receive summaries of these interviews and IQ test. 

If you do fit, you will complete questionnaires/surveys and play computer games. At a separate visit, you will have an MRI brain scan.

• Money compensation for your time (amount varies by study)
• A summary letter with the results from the IQ test and clinical interview
• Cool pictures of your brain to enjoy (if your complete the MRI)

To learn more about the benefits of participating in our research, click here.

We usually figure out if kids fit into a study at the first visit. Examples of why a kid may be unable to participate in ANY PediMIND study include:

• Braces, top permanent retainers, metal screws/pins, or other implanted metal (You can participate if you get them after the MRI is done.)
• Head injury resulting in loss of consciousness
• Stroke
• Cerebral palsy
• Seizure disorders
• Severe developmental delays or disabilities
• Current psychosis or severe substance abuse 

To learn more about our current studies and their eligibility criteria, click here.

MRI stands for "Magnetic Resonance Imaging". AN MRI uses a large magnet to take pictures of the brain. These pictures can tell us about the structure, functions, and chemicals within the brain.

The MRI is very safe. It does NOT use radiation like an x-ray machine. We don't give you special medications or dyes like you might get for an MRI in a hospital.

However, since the "M" in MRI stands for "magnetic", children with non-removable metals such as braces or implanted medical devices cannot have an MRI with the PediMIND team.

Before your real MRI, you will go into our practice MRI, which looks and sounds exactly like the real MRI—but without the magnet. In the practice MRI, you will play a game that helps you practice lying still.

During your real MRI, part of the time you will play computer games while we take pictures. The other part of the time you will lie still looking at words. Just like with a camera, moving bodies make blurry pictures, so you need to lie very still during your MRI to make great pictures to take home!

Non-suicidal self-injury is defined as deliberate, self-inflicted injury without suicidal intent. Common examples of NSSI include cutting, scratching, and burning.

NSSI is not the same thing as suicide. When a person self-injures with at least some intent to die as a result of the injury, we define this as a suicide attempt. 

YES!  We are currently recruiting two groups that do not require a history of NSSI or suicide:

1.  Kids and teens ages 8-16 with any level of irritability
2.  Healthy control kids and teens ages 10-17

For our studies, we define healthy controls based on the following criteria:

• No current or past neurological illnesses (i.e., seizures, head injuries resulting in the loss of consciousness
• No current or past psychiatric illness (i.e., anxiety, depression, ADHD, substance abuse, etc.)
• No first-degree biological relatives (i.e., biological parents, siblings, and/or half-siblings) with current or past psychiatric illness