Infant MRI scanning project examining the efficacy of the modified ABC intervention at 6 and 12 months of age in a group of opioid-exposed infants.
The project focuses on the effects of ABC during the first year of life. Infants were exposed to opioids during pregnancy and mothers were receiving the modified version of ABC while receiving medication assisted treatment. Infants were scanned at 6 and 12 months of age and data analysis is currently ongoing. resting-state fMRI, diffusion, and T1- and T2-weighted scans were collected.
Funding: Private donation Period of Support: 2019 - 2025 Principal Investigator (PI): Mary Dozier, PhD
Intervention effects and cluster-masked mean estimates. Bar plot with overlaid distribution plot of cluster parameter estimates.
References
2022
Dear reviewers: Responses to common reviewer critiques about infant neuroimaging studies
Marta Korom, M. Catalina Camacho, Courtney A. Filippi, and 9 more authors
The field of adult neuroimaging relies on well-established principles in research design, imaging sequences, processing pipelines, as well as safety and data collection protocols. The field of infant magnetic resonance imaging, by comparison, is a young field with tremendous scientific potential but continuously evolving standards. The present article aims to initiate a constructive dialog between researchers who grapple with the challenges and inherent limitations of a nascent field and reviewers who evaluate their work. We address 20 questions that researchers commonly receive from research ethics boards, grant, and manuscript reviewers related to infant neuroimaging data collection, safety protocols, study planning, imaging sequences, decisions related to software and hardware, and data processing and sharing, while acknowledging both the accomplishments of the field and areas of much needed future advancements. This article reflects the cumulative knowledge of experts in the FIT’NG community and can act as a resource for both researchers and reviewers alike seeking a deeper understanding of the standards and tradeoffs involved in infant neuroimaging.
Shifting children’s attentional focus to emotions during art museum experiences
Marta Korom, Bridget L. Callaghan, Michelle VanTieghem, and 5 more authors
Art exposure can influence children’s emotional growth, but little is known about tools that aid emotional development in art museums. We implemented attentional and social manipulations to test whether (1) modifications to unscripted instructions and (2) caregiver prompts shape children’s attentional focus towards either the emotional or elemental content (e.g., colour and medium) of paintings. These manipulations occurred within an on-going art museum education programme. Afterwards, children’s (N = 60; ages 3–13 years) attentional focus towards emotions or elements was assessed by asking them to select words that best described the art. Children focused on emotion more, but the instructional manipulation successfully influenced word choices towards the targeted focus. Caregiver prompts also influenced focus towards the elements and away from emotions. These findings highlight that children’s attention to art’s emotional content can be altered by social context, which here was demonstrated within a museum programme.
