Frequently Asked Questions about Brain Waves

Purpose Q: Why is this study being conducted? A: Over the past six years, the Infancy Studies Laboratory at the Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, has been studying infant and child development, under the direction of Dr. April Benasich. We have been engaged in a variety of research projects studying different aspects of language development and how infants and children come to understand their world and interact with it. In particular, we look at how infants process information from their environment and how their early processing skills relate to their later language and cognitive development (such as, reasoning, memory, etc.). You and your baby would visit us as participants in one of our longitudinal studies.   Procedures Q: What are brain wave measures? A: You may have seen doctors in hospitals or on television taking EEG (Electroencephalogram) readings of the natural and ongoing electrical activity of a person's brain. This activity is produced by all of us all the time and it varies according to what kind of activity we are engaged in. It can be recorded by sensors that are gently placed on the head. These are passive sensors -- that is, they only record information -- and nothing comes out of the sensors. We use a well-known Geodesic Sensor Net system, which looks a bit like a hairnet with lots of little sponges attached to it. This net contains 64 sensors, which are all sewn together. Brain waves are obtained from a special analysis of EEG. These brain waves show us the brain's response to a particular stimulus or external event, such as a picture or sound. Brain activity before, during, and after a stimulus presentation is recorded. This allows us to observe where, when, and how the brain responds to a given stimulus. Q: What will happen during a session? A: The session will last about an hour and a half although the actual testing time will only be about 35 to 45 minutes. You will be with your child at all times. The net will be gently placed on your child's head and then we will play sounds or show pictures or videos to your child. An experimenter in the room will "entertain" your child with puppets and toys so your child will stay interested and involved (and to make it a fun experience for you both). The session can be paused at any point if your child becomes fussy or needs a small snack.   Risks Q: Will it hurt? A: In our studies we are using both behavioral and brain wave measurements. The procedures that we use are comfortable for you and your baby and have no potential for harming your baby either physically or mentally. The behavioral procedures involve listening to sounds, looking at pictures, and interacting or playing with toys and objects. The brain wave procedure is comfortable and painless (the net feels just like wearing a light hat), completely safe, and non-invasive. Nothing comes out of the sensor net; it is like a stethoscope, which measures your heart rate, but does not change it in any way. Q: Who has access to our information? A: All our data is held confidentially by subject number and only people working on the project have access to individual records.   Benefits Q: Will this help my baby and me? A: There may be considerable benefit to you personally in obtaining, free of charge, comprehensive cognitive, language, and psychological testing. Results of the standardized tests administered to your child can be made available to parents, teachers, physicians, and therapists upon your written request. Our previous experience with similar studies has indicated that participating turns out to be a valuable experience for parents as well as children. Q: Will this help others? A: As well as providing potential benefits to you and your child, this type of research is critical to helping us all begin to understand how babies learn and how we might help those babies who have difficulty learning. Many participants find it very fulfilling to contribute to such research.   Participants' Rights Q: Can I say "No"? A: Finally, we would like to point out that you will be free to withdraw your baby from this study at any point in time.

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