The goal of this study is to understand the brain activity that supports infant attention while infants are awake and seeing the world around them. Usually, when we take precise measures of an infant’s brain activity, we do it while they are asleep so that they stay as still as possible for the best possible image. This is highly informative, but they do not let us see what is going on in infants’ brains while they are actually viewing and processing visual stimuli like faces.
In this study, we are going to look at brain activity while awake infants view engaging stimuli like Ms. Rachel and Dancing Fruit videos. This way, we can see what the brain looks like while an infant is paying attention to something they are interested in, and we can measure how different parts of the brain communicate with each other to support that attentive behavior. This is going to help us understand how brain development supports attention development in typically developing infants. It is also a first step toward understanding how differences in brain activity between children in infancy might predict later differences in attention or social development. Your family’s participation in this research study could help us achieve these goals.
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Who can enroll in the study?
Parents of 6-14 month-old infants may be eligible to enroll in this study. Parents who are currently pregnant or whose children are under 6 months of age can also reach out to the study team if they are interested in participating once their child reaches the appropriate age.
What is involved in the study?
In this study, we are inviting parents to allow their children to participate in a few MRI brain scans. At least one of the MRI brain scans will occur while the participating child is awake, and we will show them pictures and videos to entertain them in the scanner and to help us see how the brain reacts to different visual stimuli. Another MRI brain scan will take place while the participating child is naturally sleeping (generally around bedtime). This will allow us to compare brain activity in infants during waking and sleeping periods. We will therefore invite families to participate in 2 visits within one day or within one week if necessary.
How long will the study last?
Participating families will be invited to 2 MRI visits during the same day or week. One MRI visit will be scheduled during the day at a time that the participating child is usually alert but not fussy. This visit will take about 90 minutes total. The second MRI visit will be scheduled during a participating child’s bedtime, and typically takes about three hours total (although the actual MRI only takes ~60 minutes).
If you or someone you know are interested in learning more about this study, please fill out the study interest form linked below or email our team at babymri@umn.edu.