Pediatric Neuroimaging

Background: Puberty is a normal part of life. Many big changes occur in all parts of the body as a child matures into an adult. Researchers in this study want to find out more about how the brain changes during puberty. Objective: To study changes that occur in the brain before, during, and after puberty. Eligibility: Healthy children aged 9 to 14 years. Design: Participants will have 2 clinic visits. Each visit will last up to 4 hours. In the first visit, participants will be screened: They will have a physical exam with blood tests. They will complete a mental health questionnaire on a computer. They will undergo a mock magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. Participants will be made comfortable as they lie on the table and slide into the big tube. They will learn what it feels and sounds like to lie still inside a real MRI. At the second visit, participants will have more tests: They will have a physical exam with blood tests. This time the doctor will check for their stage of puberty. The doctor will look at and touch their genitals and breasts. They will have a real MRI exam. An x-ray will be taken of their hand and wrist. This will show how their bones are maturing. They will have a DEXA scan. They will lie on a table while a machine uses x-rays to measure the makeup of their bodies, including bone, muscle, and fat. They will have a 3D body scan. They will wear tight clothes and a shower cap. They will stand on a platform while sensors take pictures of their body.

NCT Number	NCT06912724
Lead Sponsor	National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Conditions	Neurogimaging
Enrollment	80 participants
Start Date	2025-04-21
Primary Completion	2027-05-01 (estimated)
Study Completion	2027-05-01 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-05-15