Sponsor or institution
Clinical trials and research at Laureate Institute for Brain Research
As of November 12, 2026, Find a Trial lists 35 NIH-funded research projects at this institution, with $19.2 million in listed awards. Every study is explained in plain English. Data from ClinicalTrials.gov and NIH RePORTER, updated November 12, 2026.
- 35NIH research projects
NIH-funded research (35)
Early-stage science funded by the US National Institutes of Health. Most of these projects don't enroll patients, but they show what is being worked on.
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ABCD-USA Consortium research site at LIBR explores brain development in youth
A national study group is coordinating brain development research in kids and teens to better understand how biology and environment shape growth.
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Light touches the brain: targeted ultrasound to help frontline workers with PTSD
A single, MRI-guided low-intensity focused ultrasound session is being tested to gently modulate a brain circuit involved in PTSD for frontline healthcare workers who have PTSD symptoms.
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Understanding how the body’s immune signals may influence depression (TLR4 pathway)
Researchers are testing how the immune system’s TLR4 pathway might contribute to depression by comparing responses to a controlled immune challenge in people with depression versus healthy individuals.
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Understanding how mood swings happen in bipolar disorder
Researchers are testing a high-tech brain imaging approach to map how emotions flare and fade in people with bipolar disorder.
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Improve mood to help adults with methamphetamine use disorder make better choices
This project tests a mood-improvement approach to help adults with methamphetamine use disorder choose healthier options more often.
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Understanding OCD: how people control distressing thoughts and urges
A research team is exploring how the brain and behavior work together in OCD to reduce distress and urge-driven actions.
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NeuroMAP Phase II Data Management and Statistics Core
A data and statistics hub helps researchers studying mood and anxiety disorders manage their data well and use advanced methods to generate pilot findings.
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NeuroMAP Circuits and Molecules Core supports brain-behavior research for mood and anxiety disorders
A center core will help researchers study brain circuits, molecules, and neuroimaging data to better understand mood and anxiety disorders and develop new ideas.
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Recruitment and Assessment Core for NeuroMAP Phase II
This grant supports a central team to recruit participants and run standardized mental-health assessments for mood and anxiety disorders, helping researchers study how these conditions develop and respond to treatments.
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NeuroMAP Phase II Administrative Core to support brain-mental health research
A centralized support program helps researchers studying brain-based mental health disorders to train, manage projects, and grow pilot ideas into independent work.
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Neuroscience-based tools to predict and understand mood and anxiety disorders
A brain science grant aims to improve how we understand and predict mood and anxiety problems using brain data, behavior, and biological markers.
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Bringing cultural knowledge into brain science to help American Indians with substance use disorders
This grant explores how traditional cultural engagement may influence brain processes related to substance use in American Indian adults.
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Tracking brain and health development in kids and teens at the Laureate Institute
This project follows children who were about 9–10 years old as they grow into adolescence and young adulthood to learn how their brains, behavior, and health change over time.
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Targeting threat sensitivity in people with both anxiety and depression
Researchers are testing whether being extra-sensitive to threat explains symptoms in people who have both major depression and an anxiety disorder.
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How pandemic disruptions to friendships and social life affected teens' brains and emotions
This project looks at how COVID-related changes in friendships and social contact affected teenagers' brain development and emotional well-being using data collected before, during, and after the pandemic.
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Gentle focused ultrasound to change deep brain connections
This project sees whether short bursts of low-intensity focused ultrasound can temporarily alter communication along deep brain pathways in healthy adults.
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Improving mood to help decision-making in adults recovering from methamphetamine use
This project uses positive personal memory recall to lift mood and help adults recovering from methamphetamine use make better, less drug-focused choices.
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How the brain handles efforts to neutralize perceived threats in OCD
This project looks at how people with OCD's brains act when they try to neutralize or avoid perceived threats that trigger compulsions.
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NeuroMAP recruitment and assessment support for mood and anxiety disorders
This program helps speed research for adults with mood or anxiety conditions by recruiting people and using standard interviews, questionnaires, and behavioral tests.
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Understanding gut feelings and hunger in anorexia nervosa
This work uses a new gut‑sensing test and computer modeling to learn how people with anorexia nervosa perceive hunger and stomach signals.
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Improving decision-making in adults recovering from amphetamine use disorder by enhancing mood
This study is looking at how feeling better can help people recovering from amphetamine use make smarter choices, and it uses fun memory exercises to lift their mood while checking how their brains work during decision-making.
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Improving treatment for alcohol use disorder and co-occurring anxiety or depression
This project explores a new behavioral approach to help people manage alcohol use disorder alongside anxiety or depression.
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Investigating how cytomegalovirus infection affects brain changes and depression.
This study is looking at how a virus called cytomegalovirus (CMV) might be linked to depression by seeing if it causes inflammation in the brain, and it's for anyone interested in understanding how infections could affect mental health.
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Kipiyeecipsakiciipe (Coming Home): How traditional cultural practices may help reduce substance misuse
This project will look at how traditional cultural engagement affects brain patterns linked to substance misuse among American Indian adults.
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How inflammation affects the brain in people with major depressive disorder
This study is looking at how long-lasting inflammation in the body might affect people with depression, and it involves giving participants an injection to see how their bodies and brains respond, so we can better understand the connection between inflammation and mental health.
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Understanding brain development and health in children and adolescents
This study is looking at how kids' brains grow and what affects their health from age 9 into young adulthood, and it's for children who will have regular check-ins to help us understand their development better.
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Investigating how low-intensity focused ultrasound affects brain connectivity
This study is looking at how a gentle ultrasound treatment can change brain activity to help improve conditions like depression, and it’s for people who want to explore new ways to feel better.
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Understanding how the brain responds to stress and cravings in people with opioid addiction
This study is looking at how the brain works during recovery from opioid addiction, especially how it reacts to cravings and stress, to help create better treatment plans for people trying to overcome this challenge.
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Understanding how threat sensitivity affects anxiety and depression
This study is looking at how people with both anxiety and depression react to threats compared to those with just depression, using brain scans and other methods to understand their responses better, which could help improve treatments for those who struggle with these conditions.
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Impact of pandemic disruptions on adolescent brain and emotional health
This study is looking at how the COVID-19 pandemic changed social connections and how that has affected the brain and emotions of young people aged 12 to 20, using surveys and brain scans to learn more about these changes over time.
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Understanding how body image disturbance affects people with anorexia nervosa
This study is looking at how people with anorexia nervosa understand their bodies and how their feelings and thoughts about their appearance can be changed, with the hope of finding new ways to help them feel better about themselves.
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Exploring how cultural factors protect American Indians from mental health issues
This study is looking at how cultural practices and social support can help improve mental health for American Indian communities, especially since they experience higher rates of suicide and mental health issues, and it involves brain scans and tests to see how these factors work together.
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Understanding how genetics influence brain development in teenagers
This study is looking at how our genes might affect brain development during the teenage years, which is an important time for mental health, and it's for teens who want to help researchers understand how these genetic factors could relate to things like mental health issues and risky behaviors.
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Understanding how the brain processes hunger signals in anorexia nervosa
This study is looking at how people with anorexia nervosa feel hunger and how their brains respond to it, with the hope of finding better ways to help them, and it involves both individuals with the condition and healthy volunteers over about six months.
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Predicting therapy outcomes for anxiety and depression
This study is looking at how different types of therapy can help people who are dealing with both anxiety and depression, and it will help figure out which therapy works best for you based on how you respond to different situations.
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