Practical Aspects of Conducting Large-Scale fMRI Studies in Children

Abstract

Background and Purpose The potential benefits of functional MRI (fMRI) 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 fMRI studies with normal children.Methods Two-hundred and nine healthy children between the ages of 5 and 18 participated in an fMRI study of language development.Results Reliable activation maps were obtained across the age range. Younger children had significantly higher failure rates than older children and adolescents.Conclusion It is feasible to conduct large-scale fMRI studies of children as young as five years old. These findings can be used by other research groups to guide study design and plans for recruitment of young subjects.