Universally acknowledged as a difficult period between childhood and adulthood, adolescence is a period of mental development and confusion.
However, work by researchers at Cathays campus’s CUBRIC building (next to everyone’s favourite supermarket), may shine a light on the psychological changes which impact everyone at that age.
The Brain Exploration in Adolescent Minds (BEAM) project, seeks to analyse the teenage mind from a cellular rather than a hormonal perspective, aiming to better understand the neurological factors which contribute to the turbulence of puberty.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Dr Jessica Hall, lead researcher at BEAM, said they hope the results of the project will create “better interventions and support for young people”. She added that “this study aims to build a really big resource that will be used by lots of scientists going forward”.
Using the cutting edge Connectom scanner, the study will examine the neural development of 350 children between the ages of 8 to 14.
In addition, 100 children with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome will take part in the study. Otherwise known as DiGeorge syndrome, the condition is associated with “lifelong problems, including heart defects and learning difficulties”, according to the NHS.
According to Dr Hall, BEAM intends to meet participants “several times every two years”. Children will be asked to go into the Connectom to have scans taken of their brains. Researchers will take further scans as they engage in activities such as playing iPad games and answering questions.
Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC) is a world leading neuroimaging cnetre located here on campus. The £44 million centre houses bleeding-edge research technology, including the Siemens 3-Tesla Connectom MRI system which was the first of its kind in Europe when installed.
CUBRIC, and this piece of research, demonstrate Cardiff University’s long term strategy of becoming a research led Univrsity, the building itself the cornerstone investment for Cardiff’s ‘Maindy Park Innovation Campus’.
The project, funded by The Welcome Trust, is a collaboration between experts from the University of Cambridge, the Donders Institute in the Netherlands and Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, as well as Cardiff University.