Neuroimaging of Infants' Processing of Spatiotemporal Information

Texas A&M Research Foundation, College Station TX

Investigators

Abstract

As infants look around them, objects routinely disappear and the later reappear. For example, a toy gets covered by a blanket, an electric train moves through a tunnel, or a cup is placed in the sink. One of infants' most challenging tasks is to keep track of these objects as they move in and out of view. How do infants' determine whether an object currently in view is the same object they saw before or a different object? What parts of the brain process this information? In the past, questions about the neural basis of object processing were difficult to answer because non-invasive techniques were not available to measure brain activity in awake, attending human infants. With support from the National Science Foundation, Dr. Teresa Wilcox will apply an optical imaging technique, near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), to the study of the infant brain. Near-infrared spectroscopy measures changes in cerebral blood flow from the scalp of the infant, and changes in blood flow are used an indicator of neural activation. This highly innovate approach will allow Dr. Wilcox and her colleagues to measure neural activation during object processing tasks. For example, these researchers will measure activation in the parietal cortex, an area that processes object motion in the adult, while infants watch an event in which an object changes its speed or path of motion. The broader impact of this funded project is that the successful application of NIRS, which is non-invasive, affordable, and relatively easy to use, will open the door for investigators to study the neural basis of other cognitive functions in infants, such as language or number processing. In addition, this project will enhance the neuroimaging resources and infrastructure at Texas A&M University and provide a unique educational resource for undergraduate and graduate students interested in neuroimaging of the human brain.