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Hair Biomarkers Study

Stanford University · with Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) · NCT07011082

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Opens the official ClinicalTrials.gov record, with the study team’s contacts. Bored Studies doesn’t enroll anyone.

Key facts

Compensation
Not posted. Ask the study team before screening.
Who can join
Ages 6 mo–2 · All sexes
Healthy volunteers
Accepted
Study type
Observational
Target enrollment
600
US sites recruiting
1
Study start
November 18, 2024
Record last updated
June 24, 2025

Status re-checked against ClinicalTrials.gov within the last 12 hours.

What the study is about

Young children aged 0-4 years may be exposed to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and/or early life adversity (ELA), which are linked with worse physical and mental health across their lifespan. On the other hand, positive childhood experiences (PCEs) can build resilience and prevent or protect against these detrimental outcomes. Data analyses will assess the interactions of ACEs, PCEs, parenting, and poverty on the early social psychology of childhood and develop objective measures for altered stress regulation using hair cortisol as a chronic stress biomarker.

Being studied: Stress preventative measures

Conditions: Healthy

Eligibility criteria

Copied from the official record. The study team makes the final decision at screening.

Show full criteria

Inclusion Criteria

  • Normal, healthy children aged 6 months to 24 months and their mothers (or father, if mother is not able to participate).
  • Living in Santa Clara County, San Mateo County, or Alameda County in Northern California.
  • Willing to give their home address (in order to receive the study kits at home).
  • Committed to regular follow-up at 6-month intervals for the full study duration of 2 years.

Exclusion Criteria

  • Children with tinea capitis, alopecia areata, scalp eczema, dermatitis, or other scalp conditions.
  • Children exposed to systemic steroid therapy for any diagnosis in the 3 months prior to study entry.
  • Children receiving any other prescription drugs that alter HPA axis function or cortisol release, if the period of exposure is 2 weeks or longer within the 3 months prior to study entry.
  • Children with chronic medical conditions such as cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, asthma, eczema, or other chronic conditions.
  • Children with known developmental delay, Trisomy-21 and other chromosomal anomalies, seizure disorders, chronic pain, cerebral palsy, or other disabilities.
  • Children whose hair has received chemical exposures (e.g., dying, bleaching, chemical straightening, perming) in the 90 days prior to study entry or for 90 days before each follow-up appointment during the 2-year study period.

Recruiting US locations

  • Stanford University

    Palo Alto, CA 94304

    Site contact: Cynthia R Rovnaghi, PhD · ‭+1 (501) 606-1129‬ · crovnagh@stanford.edu

Study contacts (from the official record)

  • Kanwaljeet J.S. Anand, MBBS, DPhil · (650) 498-6313 · anandam@stanford.edu
  • Cynthia R Rovnaghi, PhD · ‭+1 (501) 606-1129‬ · crovnagh@stanford.edu
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Hair Biomarkers Study (NCT07011082) | Bored Studies