Protocol Number: 07-N-0187

Title:

Brain Connectivity and Sensorimotor Integration During Single/Dual Motor Tasks

Number:

07-N-0187

Summary:

This study will examine how the areas in the brain are connected when they are controlling two finger movements at the same time. It will look at how people use what they see to help guide two different movements. This ability, which is important in everyday life, can be a problem for patients with neurological problems.

Healthy right-handed volunteers 18 years of age and older may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with a medical history, physical examination and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain. MRI uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to obtain images of body organs and tissues. The MRI scanner is a metal cylinder surrounded by a strong magnetic field. The subject lies on a table that can slide in and out of the scanner, wearing earplugs to muffle loud noises that occur during the scanning.

Participants undergo functional MRI (fMRI). This is a standard MRI that is done while the subject performs skilled finger tasks in response to instructions they see on a screen. Researchers localize brain areas which show activity changes while the tasks are performed. Before the test session begins, subjects complete a questionnaire and have an opportunity to practice the task.

Subjects control the position of one or two cursors on a screen using one or two fingers. They perform tracking or pointing tasks according to what they see on the screen. During the single-task experiment only one task is presented on the screen. During the dual-task experiment, two tasks are presented on the screen. Subjects perform either the single-task or dual-task experiment, but not both. The fMRI lasts about 90 minutes, with subjects asked to lie still during the scan for up to 9 minutes at a time.

After completing the fMRI, subjects are scheduled for a research electroencephalogram (EEG) and magnetoencephalogram (MEG). The test is done while the subject performs tasks so that researchers can learn about the timing of changes in activity in certain brain regions during performance of the same tasks done for the fMRI.

Sponsoring Institute:

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Recruitment Detail

Type: Participants currently recruited/enrolled

Gender: Male & Female

Referral Letter Required: No

Population Exclusion(s): Children

Eligibility Criteria:

INCLUSION CRITERIA:

Subjects age from 18 to 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 and MEG/EEG recording

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

Subjects with any abnormal findings on neurological exam

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

Subjects with any findings 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 90 minutes

Subjects who are left-handed

Special Instructions:

Currently Not Provided

Keywords:

fMRI

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

Attention

Sensorimotor Integration

Human Brain

Recruitment Keyword(s):

Healthy Volunteer

HV

Condition(s):

Brain Connectivity

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. Review.

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

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.
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