In collaboration with Washington University in St. Louis, we are studying brain development in newborns. The goal of this study is to gain a better understanding of brain neuroplasticity during development.
Who can enroll in this study?
Parents who are currently pregnant or parents of a healthy newborn born at 35-week gestation or more may be eligible to enroll in this study.
What is involved in this study?
Participating families will be invited to 6 MRI scans at the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain with their newborn baby, and additional visits at the age of 4 months and 14 months. Some families will be randomly assigned to our massage group. The group assignment is completely random, like the flip of a coin. If a family is assigned to the massage group, they will do a massage training with us and will practice baby massage 3 times a day (15 minutes each time) for 5 to 14 days in between their MRI visits. You will be compensated for your time and participation.
How long will study last?
The total study duration is 14 months. Each MRI visit will take about 3 hours
including time for feeding and changing. The 4-month and 14-month visit will take between 2-3 hours each.
If you’re interested in our study, please click the link below. It will direct you to a self-screener form where you will be asked some questions to determine if you’re eligible for our study. If you’re eligible, one of our staff members will reach out to you soon to schedule a formal screening session, an e-consent session and all the visits.
You will not benefit from being in this study. However, we hope that, in the future, other people might benefit from this study because we hope to learn more about how the human brain works.
If you have any questions, please send us email at precisionbaby@umn.edu or call us at: 612-625-6145.