All Studies

A Longitudinal Investigation of Reward Processing Changes in People with Eating Disorders

Westminster Hall

The PEAR Lab at Western University and the BEEP Lab at McGill University are recruiting participants for a study on reward processing in people with and without eating disorders. Individuals with or without body image concerns or out of control eating who are between the ages of 16-35 years may be eligible.

ADNIRS

Western Interdisciplinary Research Building (WIRB)

Through this study, we are aiming to understand the mental abilities of patients with Alzheimer's Disease (AD) while watching short movies. Previous research has shown that watching an engaging movie can lead to specific patterns of brain activity that can tell us about the mental abilities of the viewer. In this study, patients with AD, healthy older adults, and healthy young adults, will view short movies while undergoing functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) imaging. By investigating differences or similarities in brain activity related to movie-watching in these groups, we can learn about the mental abilities and experiences of patients with AD. Findings from this study may have important practical and ethical implications for the patients’ standard of care and quality of life.

An Imaging Tool To Quantify Glymphatic Flow

St Joseph Hospital

The brain has a natural “cleaning system” that clears waste, but this process slows down with age and may contribute to diseases like Alzheimer’s. To better understand this problem, it is important to track how fluid moves and clears waste from the brain. Current methods are either invasive or not very precise, which makes them difficult to use, especially in patients. This study uses advanced imaging (hybrid PET/MRI) to non-invasively measure how quickly this fluid clears from the brain. This method could help identify reduced clearance early and monitor how treatments or lifestyle changes improve brain health.

Automatic Recognition of Children's Speech

Elborn College (EC)

We are looking for volunteers to take part in a study looking at speech and language. The study involves talking while playing, and retelling stories. The session will be audio- and video- recorded.

Brain Variability in Children with Previous Infantile Hydrocephalus

Robarts Research Institute (RRI)

The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of the differences in brain networks between healthy children and children who have experienced hydrocephalus as infants.

Cognitive processes in Duolingo English Test (DET) tasks: An EEG study

Western Interdisciplinary Research Building (WIRB)

This study aims to understand what happens in the brain when people complete different task types on the Duolingo English Test (DET). Using EEG (a non-invasive method to measure brain activity), participants will complete three DET tasks: Yes/No Vocabulary, Vocabulary in Context, and Dictation. The researchers will compare brain signals related to attention, understanding meaning, and mental effort (cognitive load) across these tasks. The goal is to provide clearer evidence that DET scores reflect the intended cognitive language skills and show how EEG can support process-based validation in language testing.

Creatine and resistance training in older adults

Thames Hall (baseline and endpoint sessions), Elborn College (exercise classes), Robarts Research Institute (optional MRI)

Older adults are at greater risk for experiencing a reduction in cognitive and physical function. One promising lifestyle intervention to prevent or delay the onset of such declines is exercise, which has been found to improve cognitive function (mental abilities used to perform simple and complex tasks), physical function (muscle mass, bone density) and brain health (structure and function). There is also research demonstrating that creatine, a naturally occurring compound in the body known to decrease with age, can increase muscle mass and bone density in older adults when supplemented. We are interested in examining the effects of creatine supplementation on cognition and brain health in older adults when combined with exercise.

Early Language Development and Sound Processing in the Brain

Elborn College (EC) or Wilfrid Laurier University (Waterloo)

We are looking for volunteers to take part in an EEG study looking at early language development and sound processing in the brain. Young children vary in how well their early language skills develop. Some have strong language abilities early on and some take longer. In this study, we are trying to find out whether this has anything to do with how their brains process sounds. Using EEG, we can see if there are differences between children with different language abilities in the way their brains process sounds.

Eye Tracking in Second Language Listening Assessment

Western Interdisciplinary Research Building (WIRB)

Listening is an essential skill that second language (L2) learners use to acquire knowledge and communicate in academic settings. Cognitive processes underlying academic listening are affected by various factors, such as note taking and viewing behaviour. We are interested in investigating how L2 learners take notes and allocate visual attention when completing a video-based academic listening test in two conditions: with and without access to comprehension questions.

Gaming Behaviours And Social Versus Non-Social Emotion

Western Interdisciplinary Research Building (WIRB)

Video games are more popular than ever, which has led to questions about how frequent gaming affects the way people feel and connect with others. For a small group of gamers, gaming can become a problem that causes stress and interferes with their social lives. In this study, we are interested in whether the amount of time people spend playing video games is related to how they react to emotional videos, both in how they feel and in how their bodies respond.

Improving sleep via phase-locked auditory stimulation in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment

Western Interdisciplinary Research Building (WIRB)

Many older adults start to experience poorer sleep quality as they age, which can be associated with worse memory and cognition. Previous studies have shown that sleep can be improved when quiet sounds are presented at the right times during slow-wave sleep. We are interested in whether we can improve sleep and associated memory and cognitive function using these sounds in older adults.

Metabolic Optimization and Training InterVentions for Aging and Type 2 Diabetes to Enhance cognition: the MOTIVATE Study

Thames Hall, Robarts Research Institute, Elborn College, and Public Health and Family Medicine Building on Western University Campus

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) can negatively affect thinking and memory. Keeping blood sugar well controlled, along with positive lifestyle changes such as exercise, plays an important role in protecting brain health. This study is looking at ways to help older adults with T2D improve both their brain health through blood sugar control and exercise. Participants will take a medication called semaglutide or receive standard diabetes care, combined with a structured exercise program over 32 weeks. The study will measure how these approaches affect memory, thinking, and daily functioning, as well as physical fitness and blood sugar levels. The goal is to find safe and effective strategies to support healthier brains, bodies, and lifestyles in older adults living with type 2 diabetes.

MIMIC Study

Western Interdisciplinary Research Building (WIRB), Robarts Research Institute (RRI), University Hospital (UH), or Victoria Hospital (VH)

Advances in life-saving medical technology have dramatically increased survival rates for patients after severe brain injury. The recovery and continued care of these individuals often require extensive stays in intensive care units (ICUs), where critical treatment decisions are made to maximize the likelihood of recovering consciousness and cognitive function. These decisions are typically based on unreliable behavioural responses, rather than on objective and quantifiable indicators. Our goal is to combine functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), advanced electroencephalography (EEG), and time-resolved functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to improve diagnosis and prognosis in the ICU. To do so, we are seeking healthy control volunteers to image brain activity to compare to the imaging we will do in the patient population.

Pain Oscillations

Robarts Research Institute (RRI)

Pain affects people in many ways, and we are still learning why. This study investigates how listening to rhythmic sounds might change brain activity linked to pain. Participants will hear specific sound patterns while experiencing brief heat sensations, some of which may feel mildly to moderately painful, as we record brain activity using EEG and fMRI simultaneously. The goal is to learn how sound affects the brain’s response to pain and whether it could support natural pain relief in the future.

PREDICT-ABI Study

Children's Hospital (London Health Sciences Centre)

Our team is studying ways to improve care for children who slip into coma after brain injury. This work involves comparing brain's response to sounds of such unresponsive brain-injured children with that of age-matched healthy children. As a healthy child volunteer in this study, you’ll be helping researchers understand how the brain responds to sounds, stories, and instructions, things we all experience every day. Your participation will help us compare typical brain responses to those of children with brain injuries, so we can learn more about hidden awareness and improve care for kids who are seriously ill.

Typical and Atypical Development of Compensation to Altered Auditory Feedback

Elborn College (EC)

Early detection of speech, language, and hearing disorders is critical for optimizing outcomes. One great challenge is the early detection of developmental language disorder (DLD). Children with DLD struggle to comprehend what is said to them and express themselves verbally. We are interested in studying how the brains of children process what they hear, comparing typically developing children with children with DLD to improve early identification.

VISION Part 2

Elborn College (Health and Rehabilitation, Physiotherapy)

This study will explore and characterize the psychological, physiological, and psychophysical reactions to a virtual reality-based car crash simulation, and identify characteristics of responders and non-responders. The goal of this program of research is to acquire new knowledge on the range of normal psychophysical reactions to motor vehicle collision (MVC), predict the magnitude of reaction based on person-level variables of sex, gender, age, and prior trauma, and test causal pathways of pain and distress development using advanced virtual reality integrated with proprioceptive robotic experience. This work will further the field of stress and trauma research through new knowledge on ‘normal’ reactions, identify who reacts most strongly, and what aspects of trauma are most distressing. Findings may be used to inform future ecological or clinical trials of stress-mitigating interventions intended to prevent the genesis of post-traumatic chronic disease states.