title: Practical aspects of conducting large-scale functional magnetic resonance imaging studies in children.
abstract: The potential benefits of functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the investigation of normal development have been limited by difficulties in its use with children. We describe the practical aspects, including failure rates, involved in conducting large-scale functional MRI studies with normal children. Two hundred and nine healthy children between the ages of 5 and 18 years participated in a functional MRI study of language development. Reliable activation maps were obtained across the age range. Younger children had significantly higher failure rates than older children and adolescents. It is concluded that it is feasible to conduct large-scale functional MRI studies of children as young as 5 years old. These findings can be used by other research groups to guide study design and plans for recruitment of young subjects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neurology, Children's Hospital Medical Center/University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA. neuro@chmcc.org
authors.forename: Anna Weber
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Byars
authors.forename: Scott K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Holland
authors.forename: Richard H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Strawsburg
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Bommer
authors.forename: R Scott
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Dunn
authors.forename: Vince J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Schmithorst
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Plante
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007804:Language Development; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male