How behavioral activation helps teens with depression
Multi-level Mechanisms of Behavioral Activation Therapy for Adolescent Depression
This project combines behavioral activation therapy and brain scans to learn how the treatment helps adolescents with depression.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Emory University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Atlanta, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11300952 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, you would receive behavioral activation therapy while researchers track your symptoms, avoidance behaviors, and changes in brain activity over time. The team will use MRI scans to measure activity in brain areas tied to reward and threat, like the ventral striatum, prefrontal cortex, and amygdala. They will link those brain changes to who improves quickly or slowly and whether reductions in avoidance relate to specific neural shifts. The study looks across multiple neural targets and timescales to better tailor treatments for teens.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adolescents (roughly ages 12–20) diagnosed with major depressive disorder who can attend therapy sessions and undergo MRI scans.
Not a fit: Teens without depressive symptoms, or those who cannot have MRI scans (for example due to metal implants or severe claustrophobia) or cannot participate in regular therapy sessions are unlikely to benefit directly from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help tailor or improve therapies so more teens recover from depression more quickly.
How similar studies have performed: Behavioral activation is an established, effective treatment for adolescent depression, but using detailed neuroimaging to map the brain mechanisms of change is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Atlanta, United States
- Emory University — Atlanta, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Craighead, W. Edward — Emory University
- Study coordinator: Craighead, W. Edward
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 below.