Protocol Number: 06-N-0243

Title:

Brain Connectivity Between Visual Input and Motor Output

Number:

06-N-0243

Summary:

This study will explore how the areas in the brain are connected to link what people see to what they do; that is, how they use what they see to help guide their movements. The study uses functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to look at different areas in the brain while a person performs tasks in which both what they see (visual input) and what they do (their motor response) are related or unrelated.

Healthy, right-handed normal volunteers who are 18 years of age or older may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with a medical history, neurological examination and MRI scan, if one has not been done within a year of entering the study. MRI uses a magnetic field and radio waves to produce images of body tissues and organs. The subject lies on a table that can slide in and out of the scanner (a narrow cylinder), wearing earplugs to muffle loud knocking sounds that occur during scanning. The procedure lasts about 90 minutes, during which the subject is asked to lie still for up to 30 minutes at a time.

Participants undergo fMRI for this 1-day study. fMRI differs from ordinary MRI in that the subject performs tasks during the scanning, allowing researchers to see brain changes that occur during performance of the activity. Before the scan, the subject is trained for the tasks, which include looking at shapes while following them with the fingers and looking at shapes without making finger movements. Following the testing, subjects have a second ordinary MRI scan.

Sponsoring Institute:

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Recruitment Detail

Type: Participants currently recruited/enrolled

Gender: Male & Female

Referral Letter Required: Yes

Population Exclusion(s): Children

Eligibility Criteria:

INCLUSION CRITERIA:

- Subjects age 18 and older

- Subjects must be right-hand dominant (Edinburgh Handedness Quotient greater than 60)

- Subjects willing to abstain from caffeine or alcohol for 48 hours prior to the fMRI scanning

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

- Subjects with any abnormal findings on neurological exam

- Subjects who are pregnant (as determined by a positive urine pregnancy test)

- Subjects with any finding on the MRI safety questionnaire which prevents them from safely undergoing an MRI scan

- Subjects with metallic dental fillings which are likely to cause MRI artifacts

- Subjects with any history of brain tumor, stroke, head trauma or a vascular malformation as obtained by history or from imaging studies

- Subjects with any history of a severe medical condition, such as cardiovascular disease, which would prevent them from lying flat for up to 120 minutes

- Subjects without the capacity to give informed consent

- Subjects with claustrophobia or other restrictions which prevent them from undergoing a scan in a confined space for up to 60 minutes

Special Instructions:

Currently Not Provided

Keywords:

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)

Visuomotor

Occipital Cortex

Prefrontal Cortex

Recruitment Keyword(s):

Healthy Volunteer

HV

Condition(s):

Occipital Cortex

Prefrontal Cortex

Healthy

Investigational Drug(s):

None

Investigational Device(s):

None

Intervention(s):

None

Supporting Site:

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Contact(s):

Patient Recruitment and Public Liaison Office
Building 61
10 Cloister Court
Bethesda, Maryland 20892-4754
Toll Free: 1-800-411-1222
TTY: 301-594-9774 (local),1-866-411-1010 (toll free)
Fax: 301-480-9793

Electronic Mail:prpl@mail.cc.nih.gov

Citation(s):

Singer W. Synchronization of cortical activity and its putative role in information processing and learning. Annu Rev Physiol. 1993;55:349-74.

Singer W, Gray CM. Visual feature integration and the temporal correlation hypothesis. Annu Rev Neurosci. 1995;18:555-86.

von der Malsburg C, Schneider W. A neural cocktail-party processor. Biol Cybern. 1986;54(1):29-40.

• Questions about participating in a study, please contact the Patient Recruitment and Public Liaison Office, CC.
• Technical questions regarding the Clinical Center web site, please contact the Department of Networks and Applications, CC.

Search The Studies | Help | Questions |
Clinical Center Home | NIH Home

National Institutes of Health Clinical Center Bethesda, Maryland 20892. Last update: 09/16/2008