Looking for child brain scientists!

Help us understand how the brain affects food intake in children by participating in the Brain Effects on Appetite and Metabolism (BEAM) study. You and your child may be eligible if your child is: 9-11 years old, willing to have a blood draw and MRI (brain scan), and willing to come to Johns Hopkins for 3 study visits over 1 year. Children and their families earn $345 for completing 1 screening + 3 study visits spread out over 1 year. PI (Johns Hopkins): Susan Carnell, PhD, JHM IRB 00210835. Learn more.

Are you an expecting or new mother, or do you have a child under 6 years of age?

We and our collaborators at Brown University, University of Colorado Boulder, University of California Davis, Wellesley College, and the Translational Genomics Research Institute in Arizona, are working on an NIH-sponsored ECHO project based at the Advanced Baby Imaging Lab at Hasbro Children’s Hospital, the Pediatric Division of Rhode Island Hospital. It focuses on understanding how environmental exposures affect child brain development and health outcomes. This includes understanding factors like early nutrition (and breastfeeding), eating habits and obesity, sleep and physical activity, and air and water quality. We also collect information in the microbiome and our genetics to understand how these factors influence brain health.

As part of this project, we are recruiting soon-to-be and current mothers with infants less than 6 months of age. The study involves assessments of maternal and fetal / infant nutritional health, cognitive performance (such as IQ, language development, etc.) and brain development (assessed by ultrasound, US, and magnetic resonance imaging, MRI. We also have detailed questionnaires about sleep, eating behaviors, family environment, and child activities. All assessments are safe and painless for you and your infant. If you live in Rhode Island and would like to participate in this study, please email ([email protected]), call (401-338-6943), or fill out this form and we will get in touch ASAP. PI (Johns Hopkins): Susan Carnell, PhD, JHM IRB 90081346