FAQs

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  • What types of participants are you looking for?

    Each study is looking for differnt types of participants. Usually, we look for participants between the ages of 9-20 years old. Participants should be medically healthy, not taking any psychiatric medications and without any neurological conditions. For some studies, we may be recruiting people with mental health issues. Sometimes, we may be recruiting people without mental health issues. 

  • Can both my children participate?

    Absolutely! Call us about anyone in your family within the designated age groups. If they qualify, your children will probably do different studies. (NOTE: Anyone under 18 years old, a parent will need to call us to complete the phone screen).

  • Why can’t I be on medications?

    Unfortunately, people who are on medications may not be eligible to participate because certain medications may alter your brain function in order to help you feel better, and we want to study how the brain functions without any external influences. 

  • Why shouldn’t we wait until I am (or my child is) treated to do the research study?

    One of the main aims of our research is to understand behavior and brain function of people with anxiety. We will be able to learn more if we can study people that have anxiety symptoms. In some of our studies, we may ask you to participate before and after treatment to see how your behavior and brain changed.

  • Why do you need healthy, non-anxious adults and kids to participate?

    In order to understand how anxiety affects people’s thoughts, feelings, behaviors and brain function, we need to know how healthy, non-anxious people think, feel, and behave. Having healthy, non-anxious kids and adults in our studies allow us to make these comparisons.

  • Does the MRI involve radiation?

    No, the MRI scan involves no radiation. MRI is different than an X-ray. MRI uses properties of magnets to get different types of pictures of your brain. For functional scans, we can monitor which areas of your brain are activated at a certain time. We can do this by tracking where blood flows-blood flows to brain areas that are more active. 

  • Can I see the MRI scan before doing the study?

    Yes, we have a model of the MRI scanner so that we can show you what your experience will be like. The model is almost identical to the real thing. We can show you the scanner. You can lie on the table and you can hear the MRI sounds. You can practice the task and practice holding still. 

  • I am (my child is) anxious - will this study stress me (them) out even more?

    Some of the images and sounds that may see or hear with during this study may be unpleasant, but they shouldn’t be any more unpleasant than what you (your child) could encounter in his or her everyday life. And again, in order to make good, effective treatments for people with anxiety, we need to understand how and why people get scared. 

  • What happens if I find the study makes me uncomfortable?

    If you feel any discomfort at all, please tell us! We don’t want participating in our research to be uncomfortable for anyone! We will do our best to make things better. In addition, you may stop at any time for any reason without penalty. 

  • Will I get paid to participate?

    Yes, you will be compensated for your time. The amount you can earn varies from one study to the next. We offer money, course credit or community service hours.

  • What other benefits do I get from participating?

    While participating in our research studies may not directly help you (your child) with their anxiety, it may help future individuals with anxiety - maybe even those in your local community!

  • How flexible is the scheduling?

    We will do our best to work around your busy schedule! Our normal business hours are Monday-Friday 9am-5pm, but sometimes we can schedule a little earlier or later if needed.  We also may offer weekend time slots, if needed.

  • Where do the research visits take place?

    All visits take place at the University of Miami Coral Gables Campus in either the Flipse building (5665 Ponce de Leon Boulevard) or the Neuroscience Annex behind the Cox Science building (5151 San Amaro Drive).

  • How do I sign up?

    Just give us a call at 305-284-2364 or email brain.group@psy.miami.edu. One of our research assistants will need do a short interview with you over the phone to see if we can schedule you for an in-person assessment visit.

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