How the brain's chemical control centers influence behavior and memory
Bridging Scales to Understand Endogenous Neuromodulation and its Regulation
This work uses brain imaging and training to help people learn to change deep brain chemical centers that affect mood, behavior, and memory.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Duke University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Durham, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11306027 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would take part in sessions that use real-time MRI and guided training to help you alter activity in midbrain chemical centers (like dopamine-producing areas). Researchers use machine-learning tools to link these midbrain changes to whole-brain activity patterns and memory-related regions. The team combines behavioral tests, neurofeedback training, and advanced brain imaging to map how these centers detect and change brain network states. Results are intended to point toward new ways to boost resilience and target symptoms of mood and memory problems.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults who can safely undergo MRI and attend in-person brain-imaging and training sessions, including healthy volunteers or people with mood or memory concerns, are typical candidates.
Not a fit: People who cannot have MRI (for example due to implanted metal devices), who are medically or psychiatrically unstable, or who cannot travel to the study site are unlikely to benefit from participating.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could lead to new non-drug approaches that let people learn to self-regulate brain systems tied to mood, behavior, and memory.
How similar studies have performed: Prior neurofeedback and neuromodulation studies have shown promise in small trials, but whole-brain real-time fMRI approaches to midbrain self-regulation are relatively new and still being tested.
Where this research is happening
Durham, United States
- Duke University — Durham, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Adcock, Rachel Alison — Duke University
- Study coordinator: Adcock, Rachel Alison
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.