Healthy Paid Clinical Trials in New York

The primary goal of this interventional study is to explore whether 3 months of arts-based digital interventions can change the way in which teenagers (13-16 years of age) use social media and are affected by them. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Can we give teenagers new, stimulating, and more goal-oriented ways of using social media through arts-based digital trainings and active discussions around social media? * Can these arts-based digital interventions also help teenagers to overcome the negative consequences of social media overuse (such as depression, anxiety, and reduced attention and cognitive performance)? Secondarily, this study also aims to explore the brain and behavioral traits associated with these arts-based interventions to better understand how they work. Researchers will compare a music composition intervention with two other interventions: an active control intervention based on visual-arts instead of music (i.e., photography), and a passive approach to control for the mere pass of time. Participants will: * Complete a baseline and a post-intervention evaluation where researchers will obtain measures of cognitive performance (attention and executive functions, mainly), mood, mental health, brain structure and function, and social media usage and attitudes towards these platforms. * Complete weekly measures regarding their use of social media platforms and their mood. * Complete 3-month arts-based composition / edition intervention (based on music or visual-arts/photography), or the equivalent time with no intervention (passive control group). The motivation of this study was driven by the observation that, in recent years, there has been an increasing use of social media and digital devices in teenagers, while the scientific community still does not fully understand the effects of the overuse of these digital means and platforms. Moreover, some of the negative effects described to be associated with the passive overuse of social media tap on the same brain structures that are benefited by musical and artistic trainings. Hence, we thought it could be worth trying to use arts-based training to help teenagers compensate for or overcome the negative effects of social media at the neural, cognitive, mood and mental health levels. This study introduces novelty through three main aspects. Firstly, it employs a digital art creation approach that requires no classical art training, making it more accessible and less intimidating. Secondly, it incorporates commonly used digital devices (e.g., phones/tablets) and motivating environments into the learning process, integrating the development of new digital skills and the practice of critical thinking around the use of SM into normal classroom activities. Finally, the study employs a multi-methodological approach to explore the brain mechanisms underlying mental-health and cognitive changes resulting from arts-based interventions. Finally, we believe that conclusions from SMART will: * set the basis for developing preventive and therapeutic interventions for depression and anxiety in teenagers, * promote educational programs that provide optimal tools for adolescents to navigate social media in a healthy manner, and * inspire educational policy. Read Less

Groups of unimpaired participants will all receive speech motor training of nonwords, and six tDCS conditions will be compared: anodal tDCS over speech motor regions; cathodal tDCS over speech motor regions; anodal tDCS over left frontal regions; cathodal tDCS over left frontal regions; cathodal stimulation over non-speech motor regions (anodal already collected);and sham tDCS (no stimulation). This will address a basic science question about whether the mechanism underlying speech motor learning requires premotor and motor cortical regions to be stimulated, which has implications for treatment of acquired speech impairment. The primary outcome measure will be the difference in production accuracy and changes in motor acuity (measured with duration) of novel consonant cluster production. Read Less

Prenatal multivitamin/multimineral supplements (MVI) provide important nutrition supplement to the diet of pregnant women to cover potential deficiencies and optimize nutrition status of both mom and baby, especially when the diet is suboptimal or nutrient demand is high while absorption is hindered by various factors such as genetic variance and gastrointestinal function. In this double-blind, randomized, controlled trial, the investigators will recruit 70 pregnant women at gestational week 12-14 and randomly assign them to either receive a Ritual prenatal MVI (n=35) or another commercially available prenatal MVI (n=35) through out pregnancy. Both supplements are over the counter and commercially available. The major differences between the two MVIs are the chemical form of folate as either 5-methyl-tetrahydrofolate or folic acid, and the dosages of vitamin D, biotin, and docosahexaenoic acid. The investigators will collect blood samples in each trimester of pregnancy and the placenta and cord blood at delivery to assess differences in blood nutrient levels. The investigators hypothesize that consumption of Ritual MVI leads to better nutrition status and biomarkers in maternal-fetal dyads compared to control during the antepartum period. Read Less

Multivitamin/multimineral supplements (MVI) provide important nutrition supplement to the diet of pregnant women to cover potential deficiencies and optimize nutrition status of both mom and baby, especially when the diet is suboptimal or nutrient demand is high while absorption is hindered by various factors such as genetic variance and gastrointestinal function. It is, however, largely unknown whether using an MVI during the lactating period helps improve nutrition status of mom and baby. In this double-blind, randomized, controlled trial, the investigators will recruit 7- postpartum women who exclusively breastfeed at week 5 postpartum and randomly assign them to either receive the Ritual MVI which is commercially available or a blank placebo for 10 weeks. A blank placebo is appropriate because there is currently no recommendation or scientific consensus that lactating women who are healthy and eat a normal diet would have improved nutrition status or maternal-infant health outcomes from a nutrition supplement. The investigators will collect blood and breastmilk samples at baseline and end of the study to assess nutrient status. The investigators hypothesize that consumption of a Ritual MVI leads to better nutrition status and biomarkers in maternal-child dyads compared to control. Read Less

This is an early feasibility trial to determine whether transcutaneous neuromuscular electrical stimulation, with or without transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation, using an investigational neurostimulation device improves functional arm/hand movements in individuals with paralysis or paresis due to a spinal cord injury or stroke and improves functional arm/hand or leg/foot movements in individuals with paralysis or paresis due to other brain or nerve injuries. In this study, eligible individuals that agree to participate will be asked to attend up to 5 study sessions a week for 1 year (depending on participant availability), with each session lasting up to 4 hours. At the first study session, participants will have their demographic information collected, vital signs assessed, and have measurements performed of their limbs and torso, as appropriate. They will also undergo clinical evaluations and tests to assess their current functional movement and sensation capabilities. During subsequent study sessions, participants will undergo many tasks designed to improve functional movements in paralyzed limbs. Specifically, participants will receive neuromuscular electrical stimulation to the limb(s) and/or electrical stimulation to the spinal cord to evoke specified movements. The stimulation parameters and locations on the spinal column and/or limb(s) that evoke specific movements will be noted. The movements will be assessed with visual inspection, electromyography, and/or sensors. The clinical evaluations and tests to assess functional movement and sensation capabilities will be repeated throughout the study and at the last study session to assess for functional improvements compared to the first study session. Upon completion of these study sessions, the individual's participation in the study is considered complete. Read Less

This is a Phase I multicenter, open-label, dose-ranging, three-dose PK and PD study of injectable LB administered as an IM or SQ injection at 40 mg, and subsequently at 50mg SQ and then 60 mg SQ depending on the preliminary pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic results obtained with 40 mg dosing. Read Less