Welcome to the Other Brain and Nervous System Studies Page

SEX ASSIGNED AT BIRTH: Female

Women's Health

AGE: 18-45

DURATION: Approximately 2-4 weeks

VISITS: 2

LOCATION: UPMC Montefiore Hospital - Oakland

COMPENSATION: $190 & transportation costs/free parking

VISITS: None Required

Movement Disorders Research Registry

Do you have a movement disorder? If so, you may be able to participate in the Movement Disorders Registry. This registry is a list of individuals who are interested in being contacted about future research studies.

LOCATION: By email or phone

VISITS: 1 visit or phone call

MyPaTH Story Booth 2.0

Interested in sharing your story about health, illness, or research? Patients and caregivers are needed to participate in a research study to help learn more about topics that are important to you and that may improve health and health care. Participation involves one 45-minute session that takes place over the phone. Eligible participants must be able to read and understand English.

DURATION: 45 minutes

LOCATION: By phone

DURATION: About 45 minutes

MyPaTH Story Booth – COVID-19 Stories

Participants are invited to share how they are maintaining their health during the coronavirus pandemic, or to share what it is like being ill with COVID-19 and/or caring for a loved one who is ill with COVID-19. Participation in this research study involves one 45-minute session that takes place over the phone. Eligible participants must be able to read and understand English.

VISITS: No in-person visits

LOCATION: By phone

WheelTrak PVA Study

Do you use a manual wheelchair (foldable or standard)? You may be able to participate in a research study, where we track your wheelchair usage, in order to help predict maintenance repairs before your wheelchair parts break. This study involves 3-4 visits over 12 months. Compensation is provided.

LOCATION: Bakery Square – East Liberty

DURATION: 12 months

VISITS: 3-4

COMPENSATION: $200

Sensorimotor Imaging for Brain-Computer Interfaces

Do you have a spinal cord injury that occurred more than 1 year ago? Did your injury cause decreased or absent feeling in your hands/fingers? If so, you may be eligible to participate in a study using fMRI to map arm and hand-related brain activity in the part of the brain that generates movement signals and feels touch. Study involves 1-2 visits. Compensation and parking provided.

Other Physical Disability

And 2 more areas

LOCATION: UPMC Presbyterian Hospital MRI Center

DURATION: 4 hours

VISITS: 1-2 visits

COMPENSATION: $150.00 Validated parking

Memory and Attention Training for Individuals with Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (GIST)

Have you been diagnosed with a gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST)? Have you been taking a tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy (Imatinib) for at least one year? You may be able to participate in a study to examine an intervention to treat changes in memory and concentration in people with GIST. Study participation involves completing an 8-week intervention using the computer and phone.

Colorectal Cancer

Other Cancers

Remote Research

LOCATION: Videoconference & phone

DURATION: 12 weeks

VISITS: 1 initial visit, with yearly follow-up

Senior Moments Study – Healthy Volunteers Needed!

Do you experience occasional “senior moments” with your memory? Are you an African American man or woman who is at least 60 years old? Do you have a family member or close friend who can accompany you on study visits? If so, you may be able to participate in a research study to help identify memory problems at the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

AGE: 60 and older

LOCATION: UPMC Montefiore

COMPENSATION: Parking Provided

MIND Study

Do you sometimes feel disconnected from your body? And have you experienced trauma? You may be able to participate in a study to help understand how interventions change brain activity associated with feeling disconnected. Participation involves interviews, pre/post MRI scans, 8 intervention visits, and internet follow-up visits. Participants will be compensated.

Other Mental Health and Behavior

Stress Reduction

LOCATION: Oxford building & UPMC Presbyterian Hospital - Oakland

DURATION: 6 months

VISITS: 15

COMPENSATION: $460

The Reading Brain Project – Healthy 18-40 year olds with Dyslexia

Do you have dyslexia? Are you a healthy 18-40 year old? You may be able to participate in a study to better understand how different areas of your brain are important for reading. Eligible participants must be right-handed and willing to commit to coming in for study procedures on several different days. This study involves MRI scanning. Compensation is provided.

Healthy Volunteer

DURATION: Up to 3 weeks

AGE: 18-40

VISITS: 10-12 online sessions & 3 in-person visits

LOCATION: Online, Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC) & CMU-Pitt BRIDGE Center - Oakland

COMPENSATION: Up to $350 & parking/travel reimbursement

Learning in Adults Who Stutter

Are you aged 18-65 and currently stutter? You may be able to participate in an online research study to help better understand learning in adults who stutter. This study will involve 1-3 sessions, each lasting about 1-2 hours. Eligible participants are native English speakers. Compensation is provided.

Featured Research

Speech and Language Disorders

AGE: 18-65

DURATION: 1-2 hours each session

VISITS: 1-3

LOCATION: Online

COMPENSATION: $10 per session/hour

Sensorimotor Imaging for Brain-Computer Interfaces – Individuals with ALS

Have you been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)? Has this caused a decrease or absent feeling in your hands/fingers? If so, you may be eligible to participate in a study using fMRI to map arm and hand-related brain activity in the part of the brain that generates movement signals and feels touch. This study involves 1-2 visits. Compensation and parking provided.

Other Physical Disability

And 2 more areas

LOCATION: UPMC Presbyterian Hospital - Oakland

DURATION: 4 hours

VISITS: 1-2

COMPENSATION: $150 & validated parking

LATTICE Study

Do you have trouble with your memory or concentration? Are you age 60 or older? If so, you may be able to participate in a research study to find out if the medication lithium can prevent or slow down memory loss. Compensation is provided.

AGE: 60 and older

DURATION: 2 years

LOCATION: UPMC Presbyterian Hospital & Biomedical Science Tower 3 (Oakland)

COMPENSATION: Up to $820

Enroll-HD

Are you the spouse, caregiver, or family member of someone affected by Huntington’s disease (HD)? If so, you may be able to participate in a research study that is collecting data in an effort to improve understanding and treatment of Huntington’s disease (HD).

Huntington Disease

VISITS: Once per year

LOCATION: Kaufmann Medical Building Oakland

COMPENSATION: Travel Reimbursement

All of Us Pennsylvania Research Program

You may be able to change the future of medicine. The All of Us PA Research Program is enrolling adults 18 years of age or older. This may be your chance to improve how your children and your children’s children receive medical care.

VISITS: one in person visit

LOCATION: Convenient locations near you including Altoona, Monroeville, North Hills, Oakland, Philadelphia, Shadyside, the South Hills and more!

COMPENSATION: $25.00 gift card

Telehealth and Memory Study

Are you a breast cancer survivor who completed chemotherapy one to five years ago? Do you have problems with your memory, concentration, and/or attention? You may be able to participate in a research study to test two treatments that may help breast cancer survivors improve cognitive function. This study involves 8 weeks of therapy completed online or by mobile phone, and optional MRI scanning.

Breast Cancer

Featured Research

Remote Research

DURATION: 14 hours over 9 months

LOCATION: Online (optional MRI visits at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital – Oakland)

COMPENSATION: Compensation provided for optional MRI scans only

Strategies to Promote Resiliency (SPRY) Study

Are you planning to have elective surgery at UPMC? Are you 60 years of age or older and do not have diabetes? You may be able to participate in a research study to find out if the drug metformin results in fewer complications and better outcomes after surgery. Compensation is provided.

DURATION: Up to 9 months

LOCATION: All UPMC Hospital Locations

COMPENSATION: Up to $200

VISITS: Multiple online surveys

COVID-19 Vaccine Multiple Sclerosis Survey Study - Participants with and without MS

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh are seeking adults with and without a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis or other neuroinflammatory disease for a survey study to help understand your feelings about the COVID-19 vaccine. Participants in this research study may or may not have already received the COVID-19 vaccine. Participation involves completing multiple surveys over one year

DURATION: 12 months

LOCATION: Online

Multimodal Connectome Study – Congenital Heart Disease

Are you an adult between ages 18-60 years old who has Congenital Heart Disease? If so, you may be eligible to participate in a study to help researchers determine if differences in how the brain is formed and how it functions can predict behavior variations in different populations. Must be willing and able to undergo MRI scanning. Involves one study visit. Compensation provided.

Arrhythmia

Atherosclerosis

Heart and Circulation

Heart Failure

And 4 more areas

AGE: 18-60

COMPENSATION: $75.00

SCS-90 Study

Do you have a leg amputation above the ankle and below the knee? Did your amputation occur more than 6 months ago? You may be able to participate in a research study to help develop a neuroprosthetic device that stimulates nerves with the goal of producing sensations that feel like they come from the amputated limb. Eligible participants are 22-70 years old. Compensation is provided.

DURATION: Up to 9 months

And 1 more area

AGE: 22-70

VISITS: Up to 50

LOCATION: University of Pittsburgh - Oakland

COMPENSATION: up to $3,300

Cancer and Cognition Research Study - GIST

Do you have a newly diagnosed gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), but have not yet started treatment? If so, you may be able to participate in a research study to help learn more about possible changes in memory and concentration over time in people being treated for GIST. Participants will complete four assessments over one year via online surveys and telephone interviews.

VISITS: 4 assessments (no in-person visits)

LOCATION: Online & By Phone

COVID-19 and Multiple Sclerosis Survey Study – Participants with and without MS

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh are seeking participants with and without a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis for a survey study to help better understand the risk and impact of COVID-19. Participation in this research study involves completing multiple surveys online over the course of one year.

COVID-19

Healthy Aging

Healthy Volunteer

And 1 more area

VISITS: No in-person visits; multiple online surveys

DURATION: 1 year

LOCATION: Online

Mood and Personality Research Study

Have you been diagnosed with (or tested for) borderline personality disorder (BPD), and are aged 18-45? You may be able to take part in a research study to help learn more about brain function in people with BPD. This study involves interviews and an MRI scan. Participants will be compensated.

Other Mental Health and Behavior

AGE: 18 - 45

LOCATION: Western Psychiatric Institute & Clinic and UPMC Presbyterian

COMPENSATION: Up to $175

A Sensorimotor Microelectrode Brain-Machine Interface

Do you have little or no ability to use your hands due to a cervical spinal cord injury, brainstem stroke, or spinal stroke? Are you aged 22-70? If so, you may be eligible to take part in a research study involving brain-machine interface (BMI) technology. BMI technology uses signals recorded from the brain to control devices such as a computer or a robotic limb. Compensation provided.

Featured Research

And 2 more areas

AGE: 22 - 70

DURATION: 25 months

LOCATION: UPMC Presbyterian Hospital – Oakland

COMPENSATION: Up to $14,810 & travel costs

Electrode Headgear Testing Study

Do you use an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device or do you have ALS? If so, you may be interested in helping researchers by testing a newly designed dry electrode headset. Involves 1 session lasting up to 4 hours that will include communication tasks, such as copying sentences and describing a picture, along with completion of an online survey. Compensation is provided.

Speech and Language Disorders

DURATION: Up to 4 hours

VISITS: 1

LOCATION: Forbes Tower – Oakland or ICAN Talk Clinic – Carnegie, PA

COMPENSATION: $50.00

Real World Testing of AAC-BCI

Do have a have a severe disability, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, or locked-in syndrome? If so, you may be interested in participating in a study that would provide an augmentative and alternative communication system with brain computer interface access that could be used in the home. Eligible participants require wheelchair assistive technology.

Speech and Language Disorders

DURATION: Up to 2 years

VISITS: Monthly visits to your home

LOCATION: ICAN Talk Clinic – Carnegie, PA & your home

ForAging: Facilitating Optimal Routines in Aging

Are you age 60 or older and do you have difficulty managing daily tasks such as shopping, paying bills, managing medications, etc.? If so, you may be eligible to participate in a research study to help find out if regular sessions with a rehabilitation specialist can help older adults improve their performance of daily activities. Compensation is provided.

Healthy Aging

DURATION: About 15 months

AGE: 60 and older

VISITS: Varies

LOCATION: UPMC Presbyterian Hospital & Participant’s Home

COMPENSATION: Up to $300

Remote Wheelchair Maintenance Training Program

Do you use a wheelchair as your primary means of mobility (over 40 hours a week) due to a traumatic spinal cord injury? If so, you may be interested in participating in a research study to find out if an online training program designed to teach people how to improve wheelchair maintenance techniques is effective. Compensation provided.

COMPENSATION: Varies based on participation

Dementia with Lewy Bodies Consortium (DLBC)

Do you have diagnosed or suspected dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), mild cognitive impairment that may progress to DLB, or Parkinson’s disease dementia? If so, you may be able to participate in a research study to help learn more about DLB and find better ways to identify and treat the disease in the future. Compensation is provided.

DURATION: About 5 years

Parkinson's Disease

AGE: 40 - 90

VISITS: 8 visits

LOCATION: UPMC Montefiore Hospital, UPMC Presbyterian Hospital, & Kaufmann Medical Building

COMPENSATION: Up to $1,350 + parking reimbursement

EASE Study: Managing Emotions for Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Do you have autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and are 18-21 years old? If so, you may be able to participate in a research study to help find out if a new program called Emotion Awareness and Skills Enhancement (EASE) can help young adults with ASD manage their emotions. Compensation provided.

Other Mental Health and Behavior

AGE: 18 - 21

DURATION: About 6 months

LOCATION: Webster Hall - Oakland or Online

COMPENSATION: Up to $260

PROMOTE Study

Do you have a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis or a related disorder? If so, you may be able to participate in a research study to help better understand the factors that explain the differences among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Study involves answering questionnaires, reviewing medical records and participating in other optional research activities.

DURATION: Up to 30 years

LOCATION: University of Pittsburgh - Oakland