Centre for Clinical Neuropsychology Research

Research centresCentre for Clinical Neuropsychology Research (CCNR)Get involvedMind, brain and clinical studies

Mind, Brain, and Education in brain injury, and other conditions

We are conducting a number of studies with children and young people (aged 8-21 years) with brain injury, and other conditions. Please click on the study links below to find out more.

Working memory training in children/adolescents with brain injury research study

Parents and children who have survived a brain injury:

Thank you for your interest in our study investigating working memory training in children with brain injury.

This study is no longer recruiting participants. If you would like to be informed about future studies, please contact us via ccnr@exeter.ac.uk with your relevant contact details and the subject heading: research volunteer.

Many thanks, Anna and the research team

Understanding how brain injury affects development

This study is looking at how young people (age 11-21) with a brain injury change over time, compared to people of the same age who do not have a brain injury. We want to know more about how brain injuries affect the way people think and act. The more we know about this, the more we can help young people with a brain injury. More information about this study can be found in the documents below.

If you are interested in taking part in this study then please tick the relevant statement and fill in your details/your child’s details below. This will enable your contact details to be shared with the researcher, Beverley Garrigan. No information will be shared with third parties. You will only be contacted about Beverley’s study, which has full NHS ethical approval from Essex Research Ethics Committee. Thank you for your interest in this study.

Further study information:

Registration Form

This form is not currently available; apologies for any inconvenience caused.

Child Brain Injury Research Advisory Panel

We would like to design and conduct our research studies in partnership with families of children who have survived a brain injury. We are, therefore, inviting parents and young people to be members of a Research Advisory Panel.

Families who join the Research Advisory Panel will not be expected to participate in the research study, or any other studies conducted by the team. Membership of the panel only involves being invited to comment, provide feedback, or advise on the research study.

To be a member of the panel, parents and young people will be asked permission for Dr Anna Adlam to keep a record of their email address on a secure server at the University of Exeter. We recommend one email address per family with a parent/guardian as the named contact person. Anna can then contact members of the panel (separately to maintain confidentiality) about the various stages of the research to seek their advice on how to proceed. If members do not wish to respond, then they do not have to. Members can also request to be removed from the advisory panel at any time without any future involvement with the research team or University being affected.

How can you help?

If you would like to support our research by joining the Research Advisory Panel, then please email Anna at ccnr@exeter.ac.uk. Please include ‘Research Advisory Panel’ in the email subject heading.

For further information about a current research proposal that we are writing with the Children’s Brain Injury Trust, please download the research advisory panel information sheet (.pdf).

Designing problem-solving training for children with brain injury (9-12 years)

.

Designing problem-solving training for children with brain injury (9-12 years)

This study aims to better understand the everyday difficulties that children who have had brain injury, and their families, experience and to work with children and families to identify and develop interventions that might be helpful. If you are interested in participating the ‘Designing problem-solving training for children with brain injury (9-12 years)’ research study conducted by Dr Anna Adlam and the research team at the University of Exeter, then please fill in your details / your child’s details below. This will enable your contact details to be shared with Dr Anna Adlam and the research team. All information that you provide will be hosted on a secure University of Exeter internet server and will be kept in accordance with the Data Protection Act. No information will be shared with third parties. You will receive a confirmation email when your details are registered. You will only be contacted about research studies with appropriate ethical approvals. Thank you for your interest in this study.

Further information can be found below:

Registration Form

This form is currently unavailable; apologies for any inconvenience caused.

Processing speed training in children and adolescents

This study has now ended. The study was about how quickly our brains help us to process and use information. This is know as processing speed. Studies have shown that processing speed can be improved in some children by playing games such as card games, computer games and board games. This study looked at whether playing these games can help children with a medical condition associated with the brain (white matter integrity) improve processing speed.
Further information about the findings of this study can be found in the information sheets below.

The study was conducted by Lee Gamman as part of a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the University of Exeter, and was supervised by Dr Jennifer Limond, Consultant Clincial Neuropsychologist. If you have any questions about the findings, please contact Lee Gamman or Dr Jennifer Limond.

Further information about this study can be found in the information sheets below:

Research findings parent and carer

Research findings child and teenager

ADAPT Genetics UK study

The study has now finished recruiting. Thank you to all of the families who have taken part and the many collaborators at our NHS UK hospital sites that have supported this. The data will now be analysed together with other international data at the lead site at CCHMC, Cincinnati, Ohio. We will share the findings here when available later this year.

If you have any questions, please contact us at adapt-genetics-uk@exeter.ac.uk.

Chief Investigator: Professor Anna Adlam, University of Exeter, UK

In this study we want to learn more about how genes and the environment may affect how children and young people recover from a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). We are asking the children/young people who completed the ADAPT research study and their parent/guardian to take part in this research. We are asking you to participate in this research so that we can learn new information that may help other young people with TBI.

The study involves being sent some brief questionnaires and a saliva sample kit in the post from the University of Exeter research team. We ask the parent/guardian to complete the questionnaires and their child to provide a saliva sample (by spitting into a tube). Guidance and support with these is available from the research team and we provide instructions for using the saliva sample kit.

If you are interested in learning more about the study, please read the following study information sheets (parent and child/young person versions) for further details:

Information for children and young people

Information for parents and guardians

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Centre in the United States is the lead investigative site for the ADAPT-Genetics international study. ADAPT-Genetics UK at the University of Exeter work in collaboration with children's hospitals across the country, as part of the international ADAPT study.

Improving peer relationships in adolescents following acquired brain injury: Designing an intervention programme through intervention mapping

Chief Investigator: Scott Ankrett, Trainee Clinical Psychologist University of Exeter, UK

Research Supervisors:  Professor Anna Adlam and Dr Janet Smithson

Overview

Acquired brain injury (ABI) in children and young people can result in a number of psychosocial difficulties that can affect relationships with peers. In this study we want to learn more about what peer relationships (friendships) are like for adolescents following ABI and design an intervention to help improve them. As such, we would like to invite individuals (or stakeholders) who have had experience of ABI in adolescence, such as adolescents with ABI, parents, peers, and practitioners to share their opinions and perspectives to help co-design a meaningful intervention.

This study involves being sent some brief questionnaires (parents and adolescents only) and we will also invite you to come to the University of Exeter to participate in a group discussion with individuals who have similar experiences to you. There are no right or wrong answers; we just want to hear about your experiences. Each participant (parents, adolescents, and peers) will receive a £10 Amazon voucher as a thank you for your time.

If you are interested in learning more about the study, please read the following information sheets for further details:

Interested in taking part?

If you are interested in taking part and finding out more about the study, please refer to the study pages here.

Evaluating Brief Behavioural Activation for depression in adolescents with acquired brain injury: A single-case experimental protocol

Chief Investigator: Conor O’Brien, Trainee Clinical Psychologist, University of Exeter, UK
Research Supervisors: Professor Anna Adlam and Dr Jennifer Limond
Research Collaborators: Dr Laura Pass and Professor Shirley Reynolds
Honorary Research Assistants: Sophie Walmsley, Horatio Price and Janelle Lin

Overview

It is common for young people who have had an acquired brain injury (ABI) to experience symptoms of low mood, which affects their quality of life and participation at home, school, and with friends. In this study, we want to see whether Brief Behavioural Activation – a behavioural intervention that has been shown to be effective for treating low mood in adolescents – can be used to treat low mood in adolescents with ABI too.

We would like to invite young people between the ages of 12-18 who have had experience of ABI to be screened for low mood to see if they would be eligible for this study. If eligible, the young person will receive 8 sessions of Brief Behavioural Intervention over a 6-week period, followed by a follow-up session 4 weeks after completing the intervention. All of the contact with the researcher will be using live online video, in light of the recent COVID-19 outbreak.

During the intervention, the young person will be asked to complete daily brief questionnaires as part of the intervention, which should take no more than 5 minutes. These can be completed on a computer, on a smartphone, or using paper documents. Participants will also complete some routine measures to check in on their progress.

Each eligible participant who has completed the full intervention will receive a £50 Amazon voucher as a thank-you for your time and effort.

Find out more

If you are interested in learning more about the study, please read the following information sheets for further details:

Interested in taking part?

If you are interested in taking part and finding out more about the study, you are invited to contact the chief investigator, Conor O’Brien, by e-mailing co359@exeter.ac.uk.

The chief investigator can then contact you to tell you more about what is involved in the study and answer any questions that you may have, before sending you consent forms and setting up a screening appointment.

Consent for screening

If you have no further questions about the study, please feel free to fill in the relevant consent form(s) below, send them to co359@exeter.ac.uk, and you will be contacted to set up a screening appointment.

Consent for intervention

NOTE: Please do not fill in any of the intervention consent forms below unless you have been asked by the Chief Investigator.

If you have been through the screening process and the Chief Investigator has said that the study is suitable for you, please complete the relevant form(s) below if you are happy to continue taking part:

Executive Function Coaching intervention for those who have had a paediatric brain tumour

We have recently adapted an intervention to support young people/adults, who have had a paediatric brain tumour and experience difficulties with skills such as problem solving, memory and organisation. The intervention aims to help individuals to attain their goals and manage their difficulties through skill development in areas such as planning and problem-solving.

We are looking for 14-25-year-olds who have had a paediatric brain tumour, and their parents/guardians to pilot the intervention and help further its development. If you are interested in participating in this study conducted by Sarah Hester (supervised by Dr Jenny Limond and Dr Anna Adlam), then please fill in your details in our online form. This will enable your contact details to be shared with Sarah Hester. All information that you provide will be hosted on a secure University of Exeter internet server and will be kept in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018. No information will be shared with third parties. You will receive a confirmation email when your details are registered and Sarah Hester will contact you with further details and next steps.

Thank you for your interest in the study.

Further information can be found below:

‌Complete our online Google form to express your interest >

Teen Online Problem Solving (TOPS)

We are conducting a study focusing on the Teen Online Problem Solving (TOPS) intervention. The programme is being adapted to be tailored for young people who are autistic, have learning difficulties, and epilepsy. This programme uses online resources under the guidance of a therapist and alongside the support of parents to address young people’s executive function difficulties.

We will run focus groups to determine what the intervention needs to include to best help individuals with autism, learning difficulties, and epilepsy, as well as to assess the usability and appropriateness of the resources and website. 

Each participant will receive a £20 Amazon voucher as a thank you for your time.

We are currently seeking:

  • Young people aged 9-18 years who are autistic, have learning difficulties, or epilepsy.
  • Parents or guardians of these young people.
  • Healthcare professionals who work with these conditions.

Interested in Participating?

If you or someone you know fits the participant criteria and would like to take part in this study, please read the study information sheet (see copies below) and complete our online form (see below). 

Your information will be securely stored and handled in accordance with data protection regulations.

Contact Information:

For more details or to express your interest, please contact Anna Adlam [a.r.adlam@exeter.ac.uk] or Flora Hemming [m.f.h.hemming@exeter.ac.uk]

Find out more about the research project:

Please read the relevant information sheet below:

If after reading the study information sheet, you would like to take part, then please complete the relevant form below:

  • If you are a parent or carer and you would like to take part, then complete the adult consent form.
  • If your child is aged under 16 years and they would like to take part, then please complete the child consent form.
  • If you are a child or young person who would like to take part, then please complete the child consent form.
  • If you are a health professional who would like to take part, then complete the adult consent form.