Protocol Number: 02-N-0182

Title:

Quantitative fMRI in Children and Adults Using Arterial Spin Tagging Techniques

Number:

02-N-0182

Summary:

This study will use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine how blood flow to the brain differs at different ages with the brain is at rest, and during performance of tasks that involve language, memory, motor control, and sight. The study will evaluate the usefulness of MRI in identifying language function and location, and may provide information on how the brain develops over time to process brain functions, such as language and memory.

Healthy normal volunteers in three age groups-children 8-10, adolescents 13-16, and young adults 21-30-may be eligible for this study. Participants must be right-handed and be native English speakers. Candidates will be screened via a telephone interview and examination by a neurologist.

Participants will undergo MRI scanning of the brain during rest or while performing a task designed to test a skill. The tasks may involve remembering numbers, reading a word, tapping fingers, or looking at a flashing picture. MRI uses a magnetic field and radio waves to produce pictures of the brain. For the procedure, the subject lies still on a table that is moved into the scanner (a cylinder containing the magnet). Earplugs are worn to muffle loud noises caused by electrical switching of radio frequency circuits used in the scanning process. Adults may spend as long as 90 minutes in the scanner, usually less than 45 minutes. For children, the time is less than 75 minutes-usually 30 to 40 minutes. Participants may be asked to repeat the scans up to 5 times in different sessions to test different brain functions or confirm findings.

Sponsoring Institute:

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Recruitment Detail

Type: Completed Study; data analyses ongoing

Gender: Male & Female

Referral Letter Required: No

Population Exclusion(s): None

Eligibility Criteria: This study is not currently recruiting new subjects. If you have questions about participating in a study, please contact the Patient Recruitment and Public Liaison Office, CC.

Special Instructions:

Currently Not Provided

Keyword(s):

Imaging

Pediatrics

Brain

Mapping

Development

Recruitment Keyword(s):

Healthy Volunteer

HV

Normal Control

Condition(s):

Healthy

Investigational Drug(s):

None

Investigational Device(s):

None

Interventions:

None

Supporting Site:

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Contact(s):

This study is not currently recruiting new subjects. If you have questions about participating in a study, please contact the Patient Recruitment and Public Liaison Office, CC.

Citation(s):

Barnes PD Imaging of the central nervous system in pediatrics and adolescencePediatr Clin North Am 1992 Aug;39(4):743-76 Review

Braver TS, Cohen JD, Nystrom LE, Jonides J, Smith EE, Noll DC A parametric study of prefrontal cortex involvement in human working memoryNeuroimage 1997 Jan;5(1):49-62

Belliveau JW, Kennedy DN Jr, McKinstry RC, Buchbinder BR, Weisskoff RM,Cohen MS, Vevea JM, Brady TJ, Rosen BR Functional mapping of the human visual cortex by magnetic resonance imagingScience 1991 Nov 1;254(5032):716-9

• Questions about participating in a study, please contact the Patient Recruitment and Public Liaison Office, CC.
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