Helping South African teens build strong emotional control
Official title: Resilient Emotion Regulation Development in a South African Birth Cohort
Funded at Columbia Univ New York Morningside · NIH-11400236 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are learning how supportive experiences help adolescents in Cape Town develop healthy emotional control and brain resilience.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Columbia Univ New York Morningside NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | August 2, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $436,897 |
| NIH project number | 3R01MH130578-03S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11400236 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are adolescents from the Cape Town birth cohort (and their caregivers) who can take part in brain scans, behavioral visits, and questionnaires.
✕Less likely to help
Children or adults who are not part of the Cape Town cohort, who cannot travel for visits, or who cannot undergo MRI scanning may not directly benefit from joining this project.
What this research studies
You would join a long-term project that follows children born in Cape Town into their teenage years to see how emotions and the brain change over time. The team combines MRI brain scans with detailed behavior questionnaires, tasks, and thorough information about family and neighborhood experiences. Local community members help shape the questions and procedures so the work reflects everyday life in the neighborhoods involved. Advanced data methods will link these pieces to find patterns showing which supports help teens develop healthy emotional control and resilient brain development.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could point to supports and early markers that prevent mental health problems and strengthen emotion skills in adolescents.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research in wealthier countries has linked emotion regulation to brain development, but applying detailed imaging and community-guided methods in low- and middle-income settings is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Columbia Univ New York Morningside
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Tottenham, Nim — Columbia Univ New York Morningside
- Study coordinator: Tottenham, Nim
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.