How trauma affects brain development in young people
Official title: Impact of Trauma on the Longitudinal Development of Cognitive Control Networks in Healthy Youth
Funded at Father Flanagan's Boys' Home · NIH-11126599 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study looks at how experiencing traumatic events when you're young can affect the way your brain works, especially in areas that help with thinking and self-control, and it's aimed at helping kids and young adults aged 0-21 understand the long-term effects of trauma on their mental health.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Fellowship grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Father Flanagan's Boys' Home NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boys Town, United States) |
| Project start | May 30, 2023 |
| Project end | May 29, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $53,974 |
| NIH project number | 5F30MH134713-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11126599 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are youth aged 0-21 who have experienced traumatic events.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who have not experienced trauma or are outside the age range of 0-21 may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates how exposure to traumatic events during childhood and adolescence impacts the development of brain networks responsible for cognitive control. Using advanced imaging techniques like magnetoencephalography (MEG), the study aims to understand the long-term effects of trauma on brain function and structure. By focusing on youth aged 0-21, the research seeks to uncover the neurophysiological changes that occur in response to trauma, which may contribute to various mental health disorders such as anxiety and ADHD.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to improved understanding and treatment strategies for mental health disorders in youth affected by trauma.
How similar studies have gone: While there is existing research on trauma and mental health, this study's specific focus on cognitive control networks using MEG is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Father Flanagan's Boys' Home
Boys Town, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Son, Jake — Father Flanagan's Boys' Home
- Study coordinator: Son, Jake
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Sex differences in language impairment and services for children and adults
A study examines why girls with language impairment may receive fewer speech services than boys and what that means for treatment.
-
How stress alters cell energy and brain circuits that support self-control
This project is seeing if stress-related changes in mitochondria and antioxidants affect brain circuits for self-control in people aged 15 to 25.
-
Helping at-risk infants learn words by encouraging them to look at a speaker's mouth
This project will teach infants who have an older autistic sibling to look at a speaker's mouth during play to help them pick up new words more easily.
-
Audiological rehabilitation for children with unilateral hearing loss
A research project aims to help children who hear with one ear by testing ways to improve their hearing and communication through targeted audiology interventions.
-
Functional spatial hearing in pediatric cochlear implant users
A study to understand how real-world reverberation affects the ability of kids and young adults with cochlear implants to hear where sounds are coming from.
-
Understanding reading in deaf and hard-of-hearing kids using listening devices
This grant studies how early language and reading skills relate to literacy in deaf and hard-of-hearing children who use cochlear implants or hearing aids.
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.