How learning and memory change from childhood through young adulthood and relate to anxiety and depression
Interactive development of reinforcement learning and adaptive memory
Kids, teens, and young adults will do learning and memory tasks while researchers look at how reacting to good or bad events might affect the chance of anxiety and depression.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | New York University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11249973 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would take part in computer-based learning tasks that present positive and negative outcomes and memory tests about what happened. Some visits use brain scans (neuroimaging) to see the brain activity tied to learning and remembering. The team uses mathematical (computational) models to link how people learn with how they store memories across ages. By comparing children, adolescents, and adults, they aim to find when negative biases and overly general memories emerge.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Healthy children, adolescents, and young adults and those with varying levels of anxiety or depressive symptoms in the targeted age ranges could be invited to participate.
Not a fit: People outside the enrolled age ranges or those unwilling to do computer tasks or neuroimaging are unlikely to be eligible or benefit directly from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could clarify how learning and memory patterns contribute to anxiety and depression and point to ages and processes for earlier prevention or treatment.
How similar studies have performed: Previous studies have linked negative learning and memory patterns to anxiety and depression, but combining developmental samples, neuroimaging, and computational models across ages is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- New York University — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hartley, Catherine Alexandra — New York University
- Study coordinator: Hartley, Catherine Alexandra
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.