Postgraduate researcher Dr Dominic O’Connor talks about the new E-LAB study he is conducting with Professor Rebecca Elliott.

Dominic and Rebecca (far left) with colleagues.

Early life experiences shape who we become, influencing not only our immediate development, but also casting long shadows into adulthood.

The relationship between childhood trauma, mental health, and brain development is complex and multifaceted, yet understanding these connections is crucial for developing effective interventions that can change lives.

This is the driving force behind our groundbreaking research initiative: the E-LAB Study.

The science behind early life adversity

The E-LAB study was developed to aid our understanding of the intricate relationships between childhood trauma, neurodevelopmental disorders, mental health, immune function and cognitive processes. Our ultimate goal is ambitious yet essential: to help inform interventions aimed at mitigating the long-term consequences of early life adversity.

Research has consistently shown that adverse childhood experiences can have profound effects on brain development, emotional regulation, and cognitive functioning. However, the mechanisms underlying these relationships are not fully understood.

By examining how childhood trauma intersects with neurodevelopmental differences, mental health outcomes, cognitive development and immune system responses, we aim to build a comprehensive picture that can guide more effective support strategies for young people.

The project incorporates several common fMRI tasks that are used to demonstrate altered cognitive and emotional processing across a broad range of psychiatric disorders and experiences of childhood trauma.

Alongside these neuroimaging components, we employ numerous online questionnaires and cognitive tasks to capture a holistic view of each participant’s experience and functioning.

A revolutionary modular approach

What sets the E-LAB study apart is our innovative modular design, specifically developed to improve accessibility and accommodate individuals with complex social and emotional mental health needs.

We recognise that traditional research approaches can sometimes create barriers for the very populations we most need to understand. Our flexible methodology combines both online and in-person assessments, ensuring that participation fits around participants’ lives rather than the other way around.

The study employs a comparative design, examining two groups of participants across multiple outcomes. Our modular structure consists of five interconnected components, each designed to capture different aspects of the adolescent experience while minimising burden on participants and families.

Click to enlarge.

Parent Module

This gathers crucial background information through online questionnaires completed by parents or guardians.

This component collects family background information, details about early childhood experiences and relevant demographic data that help us understand the broader context of each young person’s development.

How we collect information for this module:

• Social Communication Questionnaire
• Reactive Attachment Disorder and Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder assessment
• Socio-demographic questionnaire
• Development and Wellbeing Assessment questionnaire
• Child background questionnaire

Youth Experience Module

This focuses directly on the adolescent participants themselves, using online questionnaires to assess mental health and intelligence.

All online components can be completed at participants’ convenience, ensuring that the research process doesn’t interfere with important activities like schooling.

How we collect information for this module:

• Positive Valence Systems Scale
• Strengths & Difficulties Questionnaire
• Children’s Anxiety and Depression Scale
• Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale
• Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment
• Social Media Engagement questionnaire
• Adolescent Scale for Anhedonia
• Internet Gaming Disorder Test – 10
• Resilience Scale for Adolescents
• Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices
• Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children

Youth Task Module

This consists of a series of online cognitive tasks completed by adolescent participants, providing insights into various aspects of cognitive functioning and information processing.

How we collect information for this module:

• Moral emotions
• Faces go-no/go
• Emotional encoding and recognition
• Ultimatum game
• Theory of mind
• Moral judgement
• Face and eyes emotional recognition
• Emotional intensity morphing
• Delay discounting

Bio-assessment Module

This represents the study’s cutting-edge neuroimaging component, conducted in-person at The University of Manchester or one of our partner sites.

This module involves an fMRI brain scan to examine brain structure and function, along with small blood and hair samples that allow us to investigate biological markers and immune function. Despite being conducted in-person, we arrange these assessments to minimize disruption to participants’ schooling and daily routines.

How we collect information for this module:

• Blood samples
• Hair samples
• fMRI brain scan

Social and Neurodiversity Module

This consists of interviews that can be completed either online or in-person, depending on participants’ preferences and comfort levels. Both parents and adolescent participants complete interviews about the adolescent’s behaviour in social situations.

Additionally, a subset of participants will complete a specialised autism spectrum disorder interview, allowing us to better understand neurodevelopmental differences within our sample.

How we collect information for this module:

• Social communication interview
• Autism interview

Why this research matters

The implications of this research extend far beyond academic understanding. By identifying the complex interplay between early adversity, brain development, and mental health, we can develop more targeted and effective interventions.

This knowledge could inform clinical practice, educational approaches, and policy decisions that support young people who have experienced trauma or face neurodevelopmental challenges.

Moreover, our inclusive approach ensures that we’re not just studying these relationships in typically-developing populations, but also including young people with diverse needs and experiences.

This comprehensive perspective is essential for developing interventions that work in the real world, where young people present with complex, intersecting challenges rather than isolated conditions.

Join our research community

Recruitment for the E-LAB study is currently ongoing, and we’re actively seeking adolescents aged 13-17 years and their consenting parents or guardians to participate in this important research.

Every participant contributes valuable insights that bring us closer to understanding how we can better support young people who have faced early life challenges.

For those interested in learning more about the study or understanding why it’s important for young people to participate in research like this, we’ve created an informative video in collaboration with young people: please click here. This resource provides firsthand perspectives on the research experience and its potential impact.

Find out more

We understand that deciding to participate in research is a significant decision for families, and we’re committed to providing all the information you need to make an informed choice.

For those wishing to find out more about taking part, we welcome emails to mhmpsych@manchester.ac.uk, where our team is ready to answer questions and provide additional details about the study process.

The E-LAB study represents more than just research – it’s an opportunity to contribute to knowledge that could transform how we support young people facing mental health challenges and the lasting effects of early adversity.

Together, we can build a better understanding of these complex relationships and work toward more effective interventions that help young people thrive despite early challenges.

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