Investigating brain and biological markers of trauma resilience in healthy adults

About this research

This research aims to better understand how trauma affects the brain and body, and what makes some people more resilient after traumatic experiences. The study is part of a larger project establishing a Trauma Biobank: a databank of brain, blood, and behavioural information from individuals with different trauma histories.

Who can participate

You may be eligible if you:

  • have or haven't experienced at least one major traumatic life event (e.g. accident, assault, disaster, loss), but have never been diagnosed with PTSD or another mental illness.
  • are aged 18 years or older
  • can speak and read English fluently
  • have no current or past diagnosis of a mental health disorder.

You are not eligible if you:

  • have a diagnosis of PTSD, C-PTSD, or another mental health or neurological condition
  • have metallic implants or other contraindications for MRI (e.g. pacemaker, severe claustrophobia).

What’s involved

You'll be asked to:

  • complete an online pre-screening questionnaire about your age, sex, MRI contraindications, and trauma history (10 minutes)
  • attend an in-person session at the Centre for Advanced Imaging at the UQ St Lucia campus (2–3 hours) which includes:
    • completing questionnaires on lifestyle, sleep, trauma experiences, mental health and wellbeing
    • a non-invasive 3T MRI brain scan (approx. 55 minutes)
    • providing a small blood sample (60 mL) for inflammatory and genetic analyses
    • wearing an Actigraph smartwatch for one week to record sleep and activity patterns.

All procedures are safe and conducted by qualified staff. You may stop or withdraw at any time without consequence.

Benefits of participating

Participants will receive $50 after completing the in-person component and a $10 voucher after returning the smartwatch.

How to participate

If you meet the eligibility criteria and you’re interested in participating, register your interest.

Register your interest 

Ethics, data collection and privacy

This study has been approved by The University of Queensland Human Research Ethics Committee [Approval No.2024/HE001951].

Contact

For any questions email Alice Mok h.mok@student.uq.edu.au or Chrystal Douflias c.douflias@uq.edu.au.