Memory and social anxiety in teens: what makes it stick or fade
Neural mechanisms of memory bias in adolescent social anxiety persistence and remittance
This project looks at how memory and brain chemistry influence whether social anxiety continues or goes away during early adolescence.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Temple Univ of the Commonwealth NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11251598 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project follows young people through the transition to adolescence to see why some kids' social anxiety improves while others' gets worse. Participants will complete memory tasks and questionnaires and have fMRI and neuromelanin-sensitive MRI scans to measure brain activity and dopamine-related signals. The team will study connections between the medial prefrontal cortex and the striatum and how those circuits relate to biased memories for social events. Researchers combine these behavioral and brain measures over time to link specific memory-brain patterns with persistence or remission of social anxiety.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are children entering adolescence (about ages 10–13) who have social anxiety symptoms or a diagnosis of social anxiety disorder.
Not a fit: Adults, people without social anxiety, or individuals whose anxiety is driven mainly by non-memory factors may not benefit directly from this research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could point to new ways to treat teen social anxiety by targeting memory biases or dopamine-related brain circuits.
How similar studies have performed: Past research has found memory biases and brain circuit differences in anxiety, but using dopamine-sensitive imaging and focusing on memory bias in adolescents is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Philadelphia, United States
- Temple Univ of the Commonwealth — Philadelphia, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jarcho, Johanna Molly — Temple Univ of the Commonwealth
- Study coordinator: Jarcho, Johanna Molly
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.