Current:
Summer Brain and Skill Change
One current analysis in the lab investigates brain signal during reading and math tasks before and after summer break. We are interested in learning how brain activity at pre-summer relates to academic skill change over the summer break, how the BOLD signal changes from pre to post summer, and whether those changes may relate to changes in reading and math skills.
English Learner Task Activation and Academic Skills
Ongoing analyses in the lab are examining task activation patterns of English Learners – students who are not yet fluent in English when they enroll in school in the United States – during reading, math, and cognitive flexibility tasks. We are interested in whether specific patterns of baseline brain activity relate to changes in academic skills over time, and how these activity patterns shift over the course of the school year.
Current: Finished Data Collection
Cognitive Flexibility and Mistakes
We invited children ages 7-15 years old to help us pilot a study about control development. We investigated how different task demands impacted accuracy and reaction time on a cognitive flexibility task. Participant children and guardians were asked to come to one paid behavioral session (~3 hours max) to help us test new executive function games and fill out surveys.
Neural Activity Related to Learning Interruptions in Children
We invited families with children finishing 4th and 7th grade to participate in a pre- and post-summer research study. We are looking to better understand how learning interruptions interact with the developing brain and impact skill (e.g., reading, math) performance. This project is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Past
A Longitudal, Multidimensional Study of Executive Functioning in Children with Control Disorders (The EF Study)
We are inviting families with children between the ages of 8-18 years with or without diagnoses of ADHD, Autism, OCD, or Tourette Syndrome to take part in a longitudinal behavioral and MRI study with up to two visits per year. We are looking to better understand similarities and differences in cognitive function and behavior between highly co-morbid developmental disorders of control. If you are the parent or guardian of a child diagnosed with one of the above listed disorders and you wish to learn more about the study or would like your child to participate, please sign up here.
Parent-Child Study of Sleep and Control Disorders
We are conducting a study with children between the ages of 8-15 years along with their parents (and possibly siblings) to explore the relationship between parent and child disorder burden through the lens of sleep and rhythmic activity. We are examining the sleep patterns and general activity level of parent-child dyads over a week by having them wear actigraphy wristbands at home. This project is sponsored by two years of NARSAD funding.
Multimodal Neuroimaging of English Language Learners
Currently, we are collaborating with the Texas Center for Learning Disabilities (TCLD) to conduct a multicenter project in partnership with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and the University of Houston. The TCLD is a NIH grant-funded research center developed to investigate the classification, early intervention, and remediation of learning disabilities (LD). The neuroimaging arm of the TCLD proposes a systematic investigation of different brain profiles that vary with reading, math, and attention difficulties in English-language middle schoolers. Our goal is to evaluate the impact of English fluency on the network connectivity of reading- and math-related brain regions, and the influence of executive control networks on reading and math changes over time. We will approach these investigations using structural and functional MRI images collected from middle school students in Houston, San Antonio, and Hutto, TX. We will also examine the contextual role of socioeconomic status and bilingualism in how children respond to intervention.
Visit TexasLDCenter.org for full details regarding the project
Interested in Participating?
If you would like to participate in one of our studies or if you would like to be added to our database for future recruitment, please contact us.