Two thousand teenagers from across Europe will provide clues about how why some young people develop serious mental health issues.
The teenagers were studied at the age of 14 – and now at the age of 18 researchers are hoping to take a fresh look at their brains.
The project, known as Imagen, will allow scientists to see how teenage brains evolve and how this relates to their psychology.
The project involves universities in the UK, Ireland, France and Germany together with Toronto University, Canada.
One study showed that the brains of teenage girls respond more robustly to faces than those of boys.
Researcher Alicia Steadman, from Nottingham University, UK, said: "A lot of mental illnesses have their first onset before the age of 24. About half of these occur before the age of 14.
"So, it is very important that we study people between the ages of 14 and 18 and are able to identify symptoms early on as well as the risk factors for developing certain mental illnesses."
Professor Tomas Paus, a psychiatrist in Toronto, said: "Developmental processes in adolescence are critical for the fine tuning of behavioural control, emotions and cognition.
"The adolescent brain is a work in progress, making it particularly vulnerable to disruption by social stress – often generated by other teenagers but, sometimes, also by adults – as well as by chemicals, such as alcohol and cannabis."
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