An Observational Study of the Developing Brain, Impulsivity and Compulsivity
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Recruiting
- Enrollment
- 1,100
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Heritability of cortical glutamate (proportion of variance explained by additive genetic factors).
Study Overview
Brief Summary
Background:
Impulsivity is acting 'without thinking.' Compulsivity is being overly inflexible. People vary in how impulsive or compulsive they are. Extreme versions of these behaviors play a role in mental disorders. Researchers want to study changes in the brain to learn more about these behaviors. Differences in genes may also play a role.
Objective:
To learn about genetic & brain features that explain why levels of impulsivity and compulsivity vary across people.
Eligibility:
People ages 6 - 80
Design:
Participants will be screened with a medical history and medical record review.
Participants will talk about their mental and behavioral development. They may discuss topics like drug use and sexual activity. They will complete surveys about their compulsivity and impulsivity. Parents of child participants may also complete these surveys.
Participants may take memory, attention, and thinking tests. They may give blood or saliva samples for gene studies and they may give blood to make induced pluripotent stem cells. Participants may have their face and irises photographs taken.
Participants may have a magnetic resonance imaging scan. It will take pictures of their brain. The scanner is shaped like a cylinder. Participants will lie on a table that slides in and out of the scanner. A coil will be placed over their head. They will lie still, watch a movie, and play a game.
Participants may ask family members to join the study. Researchers are particularly interested in recruiting twin pairs to the study.
Participants under age 25 may repeat these tests every 1-2 years until they turn 25 or until the study ends. For those over age 25, participation will last less than 1 month.
Detailed Description
Study Description:
Many neuropsychiatric disorders have extreme impairing impulsivity and compulsivity behaviors at their core. We hypothesized that the development of symptoms of impulsivity and compulsivity during childhood/adolescence and early adulthood will be associated with atypical trajectories of brain features including cortical glutamate (the main excitatory neurotransmitter) and functional/structural brain connectivity. Additionally, we hypothesize that cortical glutamate will be under genetic control (i.e., heritable) and that common genetic variant risk for disorders characterized by extreme impulsivity (e.g., attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and by extreme compulsivity (e.g., obsessive compulsive disorder, autism spectrum disorder) will also be associated with atypical cortical glutamate trajectories. To elucidate the relationships between the developing brain, compulsivity/impulsivity and genomics, we will collect clinical assessments including clinician-led interviews, neurobehavioral assessments, neuroimaging data, and genomic samples using 1) a prospective longitudinal design to answer developmental hypotheses; 2) a twin design to assess heritability hypotheses.
Objectives:
Primary Objective:
A) To assess the effects of impulsivity and compulsivity on the developmental trajectories of cortical glutamate.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Observational
- Observational Model
- Cohort
- Time Perspective
- Prospective
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 6 Years to 80 Years (Child, Adult, Older Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria
- •INCLUSION CRITERIA:
- •In order to be eligible to participate in this study, an individual must meet all of the following criteria:
- •Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study.
- •Must be between 6 and 80 years of age.
- •Ability of participant to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document.
Exclusion Criteria
- •An individual who meets any of the following criteria will be excluded from participation in this study:
- •Cognitively not capable of performing study procedures or lack of capacity to provide informed consent. Indications of a lack of cognitive capacity could include a known full-scale IQ under 70, or a history from the screening interview that implies global intellectual disabilities (e.g., placement in a school for children with intellectual disability etc.)
- •Very premature birth (i.e., birth before 32 weeks of gestational age).
- •Any known brain abnormalities (e.g., tumor, periventricular leukomalacia, microcephaly) or history of medical conditions known to affect cerebral anatomy (e.g., epilepsy, history of stroke, head injury with a loss of consciousness of one hour or more).
- •Psychotic disorders (including schizophrenia, psychosis not otherwise specified).
- •Dementia, or other conditions that, in the opinion of the investigators, would impede compliance or possibly hinder completion of the study.
- •Pregnant women.
- •Any other medical or psychiatric condition that in the opinion of the PI may confound study data/assessments.
- •Additional exclusion criteria for optional MRI procedure:
- •1. Individuals who are not able to receive an MRI (e.g., metal bioimplants, claustrophobia, inability to lie flat on their backs, pregnant women, and any other contraindications for MRI scanning according to the NMR Center MRI safety guidelines).
Arms & Interventions
impulsive compulsive
Individuals between 6 and 80 years of age with a wide range of impulsivity/compulsivity behaviors - ranging from normal to mildly/extremely impaired.
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Heritability of cortical glutamate (proportion of variance explained by additive genetic factors).
Time Frame: Baseline
Degree to which glutamate levels are under genetic control.
Glutamate concentration measured using Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Time Frame: Yearly if possible
Age-related change in cortical glutamate levels and its moderation by individual differences in levels of impulsivity and compulsivity.
Secondary Outcomes
- Glutamate levels(weeks to months)
- Structural and functional connectivity(Yearly if possible)
- Differences in glutamate levels and other neurodevelopmental markers within twin pairs.(Yearly if possible)
- Structural and functional connectivity(Yearly if possible)
- Glutamate levels(weeks to months)
- Differences in glutamate levels and other neurodevelopmental markers within twin pairs.(Yearly if possible)