As infants look around them, objects disappear and reappear from view. For example, a ball rolls behind the sofa, a toy gets covered by a blanket, or a bowl is placed in the cupboard. One of infants' most challenging tasks is to keep track of the identity of these objects as they move in and out of view. How do infants' determine whether an object currently in view is the very same object they saw before or a different object? What parts of the brain process this information? Are some parts of the brain more important than others for tracking object identity? In the past, questions about the neural basis of object identity were difficult to answer because non-invasive techniques were not available to measure brain activity in human infants. With support from the National Science Foundation, Dr. Teresa Wilcox will help apply a new technology, near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), to the study of the infant brain. Near-infrared spectroscopy measures changes in cerebral blood flow from the scalp of the infant, and changes in blood flow are used an indicator of neural activation. This highly innovative approach will allow Dr. Wilcox and her colleagues to measure neural activation during object identity tasks.
The broader impact of this funded project is that the successful application of NIRS, which is non-invasive, affordable, and relatively easy to use, will open the door for investigators to study the neural basis of other cognitive functions in infants, such as language or spatial memory. In addition, this project will enhance the neuroimaging resources and infrastructure at Texas A&M University and provide a unique educational resource for undergraduate and graduate students interested in neuroimaging of the human brain.
