The first step is to fill out our survey to see if you are eligible for our study. If you meet the study inclusion criteria for one of the groups we are researching, we will contact you by email to let you know if you’ve been selected to participate!

Note: enrollment for Chronic Lyme, Long Covid and Healthy Control cohorts is currently closed

If you meet inclusion criteria and are eligible to participate in our study, we will contact you via email to schedule a Zoom virtual visit. In the email will be a copy of the consent form. You will meet with a clinical research professional to thoroughly go over the consent process, the specifics of the study, risks/benefits of participation, and answer any questions you have. The e-consent virtual visit usually takes about 45 minutes.

If you have consented to participate in the study, we will send you surveys to complete regarding additional demographics, past medical history, tick exposure, COVID exposure and a review of systems/current symptoms. The surveys take approximately 60-120 minutes to complete. Before you come to MIT for your research visit, we will also have you complete a short baseline cognitive assessment on your computer at home (BrainCheck). This should take about 10 minutes.

You will arrive at the MIT Center for Clinical and Translational Research (directions and parking instructions below) and the study team will greet you. You will participate in a series of tests. Our team will walk you through the process and what you will need to do. You will be asked to provide a few different samples including: blood, saliva, Urine, optional throat swab, optional vaginal/menstrual samples, and optional sweat samples (not currently available). We are also performing testing with a variety of non-invasive devices: RightEye (eye movement), WAVi (brain electrical activity), Nevisense (optional, skin barrier integrity), NASA Lean Test (optional, autonomic function). Prior to each sample collection or test, we will confirm that you still provide your consent. You can always decline your participation in different parts of the study. The in-person MIT visit usually takes about 3.5-4 hours.

We will be sending a very brief survey to check in on you and see how you are feeling and to assess for post-exertional malaise (PEM). We may also ask a small number of you to repeat the cognitive assessment (BrainCheck). We will have you record PEM, symptoms and potential recovery over the next few days. A week after your visit, you will have a follow up virtual Zoom visit to check in, and brief neuro exam with a licensed nurse. The follow up virtual visit usually takes about 20-35 minutes. You can also elect to complete an OPTIONAL monthly THRIVE survey. We plan to follow a small group of participants over time at 1 year for additional testing/sample collection.