Teen Bugs Study

Eligibility

Participants will need to be able to provide assent and parental consent, be 12-15 years old, be fluent in English (written and spoken), and be able to understand and complete all study procedures.

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate how the bugs in our gut, like bacteria and viruses, can affect our health. We do this by looking at different types of data, such as brain scans, interviews, questionnaires, and biological samples (e.g., poop, saliva, blood). By doing this, we can better understand how the gut and the brain communicate with each other, and how this can impact teens’ mental and physical health.

Involvement

Total involvement in this study will take around 3 hours, which can be split into two, 1.5-hour sessions. We will ask your teen to complete some questionnaires about themselves, their emotions and behaviors, their physical development, and their diet. We will also interview your teen about their thoughts and feelings and ask you to collect a small (pea-sized) poop sample at home using a kit we provide. Finally, we will ask you and your teen to come to UCLA, where we will scan their brain using an MRI scanner, and collect a saliva sample and a small blood sample. We want to see how your teen develops over time, so we will follow up again in 1-1.5 years and 2-2.5 years to see if you would like to participate in this study again.

Benefits

You will receive up to $245 for completing all study procedures and a $16 parking voucher. You will also be entered in a raffle to win one of two high-value prizes (e.g., Nintendo Switch) and one of forty lower-value prizes (e.g., Squishmallows, gift voucher). Participation in the study is not required to participate in the raffle. Your chance of winning any prize in this raffle is no less than 7 in 50. You will also receive images from your teen’s brain scan and a report of their diet.

Contact

Email: brainandbodylab@ucla.edu

Phone: 424-259-5702

View Study Flyer (PDF)