Functional MRI research involving healthy children: Ethics, safety, and recommended procedures

Assessment of auditory cortex activation with functional magnetic resonance imaging

Otolaryngology ◽

10.1016/s0194-5998(00)70247-6 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 122 (2) ◽

pp. 241-245 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Seckin O. Ulualp ◽

Bharat B. Biswal ◽

F. Zerrin Yetkin ◽

Thomas M. Kidder

Keyword(s):

Auditory Cortex ◽

Functional Mri ◽

Pure Tone ◽

Pure Tone Audiometry ◽

Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽

Middle Temporal Gyrus ◽

Correlation Technique ◽

Healthy Children ◽

Functional Images ◽

Cross Correlation Technique

OBJECTIVE The goal was to assess auditory cortex activation evoked by pure-tone stimulus with functional MRI. METHODS Five healthy children, aged 7 to 10 years, were studied. Hearing evaluation was performed by pure-tone audiometry in a sound-treated room and in the MRI scanner with the scanner noise in the background. Subjects were asked to listen to pure tones (500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz) at thresholds determined in the MRI scanner. Functional image processing was performed with a cross-correlation technique with a correlation coefficient of 0.5 ( P < 0.0001). Auditory cortex activation was assessed by observing activated pixels in functional images. RESULTS Functional images of auditory cortex activation were obtained in 3 children. All children showed activation in Heschl's gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, and planum temporale. The number of activated pixels in auditory cortexes ranged from 4 to 33. CONCLUSIONS Functional images of auditory cortex activation evoked by pure-tone stimuli are obtained in healthy children with the functional MRI technique.

Download Full-text

The Development of Swallowing Respiratory Coordination

Perspectives on Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders (Dysphagia) ◽

10.1044/sasd18.1.19 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 19-24

Author(s):

Maggie-Lee Huckabee

Keyword(s):

Cortical Activation ◽

First Year ◽

Healthy Children ◽

Nasal Airflow ◽

Single Session ◽

Primary Finding ◽

Patterns Of Behavior ◽

Cortical Modulation ◽

First Year Of Life ◽

Swallowing Apnea

Abstract Research exists that evaluates the mechanics of swallowing respiratory coordination in healthy children and adults as well and individuals with swallowing impairment. The research program summarized in this article represents a systematic examination of swallowing respiratory coordination across the lifespan as a means of behaviorally investigating mechanisms of cortical modulation. Using time-locked recordings of submental surface electromyography, nasal airflow, and thyroid acoustics, three conditions of swallowing were evaluated in 20 adults in a single session and 10 infants in 10 sessions across the first year of life. The three swallowing conditions were selected to represent a continuum of volitional through nonvolitional swallowing control on the basis of a decreasing level of cortical activation. Our primary finding is that, across the lifespan, brainstem control strongly dictates the duration of swallowing apnea and is heavily involved in organizing the integration of swallowing and respiration, even in very early infancy. However, there is evidence that cortical modulation increases across the first 12 months of life to approximate more adult-like patterns of behavior. This modulation influences primarily conditions of volitional swallowing; sleep and naïve swallows appear to not be easily adapted by cortical regulation. Thus, it is attention, not arousal that engages cortical mechanisms.

Download Full-text