Background:
People show changes in brain activity when they watch other people do actions. This may be part of early social and communication skills. Researchers want to understand the stages of normal development of motor observation and imitation in people and how it relates to social development in infants and toddlers.
Objective:
To study the nature of brain activity that underlies typical brain functioning in infants, toddlers, and adults.
Eligibility:
Infants ages 8 12 months
Healthy adults ages 18 65
Design:
Adult participants will have one visit. They will:
Answer questions about their family, like its size and ethnicity.
Answer questions about their own behavior and do a simple motor task.
Have EEG/fNIRS. A damp elastic cap with small sensors will be placed on the head. Participants will observe stimuli, either on a video screen or of a live person. The sensors will be connected to a computer. That will record the participant s brain activity while watching pictures on a screen.
Infant participants will have 2 visits.
Their parents will answer questions about their family.
The parents will fill out forms about their child s development. These will be mailed to them before each visit.
Parents will stay with their infant while study staff does an assessment of the child s communication, motor, and thinking skills.
Infants will have EEG/fNIRS.
Infants who are at risk for developmental delays will come back for another visit when they are about 2 years old. This will repeat the infant visits but it will not include EEG/fNIRS.
Some questionnaires and assessments will be videotaped.
Age of 18-65 at study entry
Healthy and good condition as determined by medical history and physical examination
9 months +/- 2 weeks of age at time of consent
Healthy and good condition as determined by medical history and physical examination
Uncorrected auditory impairment
Uncorrected visual impairment
Head injury with loss of consciousness
Inability to provide consent
Adult pilots and TD infants will be recruited from a community sample. AR infants will be recruited from local early intervention providers and pediatricians, following procedures of ongoing collaborative studies at NIH.
Case-control
Prospective
Not listed
Developmental level
Diagnostic status and behavioral scales that reflect child development at different levels: gross motor, fine motor, language and visual reception.
Hemodynamic response function and mu suppression
The change in neuroimaging metrics (i.e., percent mu suppression, percent oxyhemoglobin change) will be used to characterize the development of the mirror neuron system.
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