This study is a continuation of the Preschool Health and Wellbeing Study that you previously participated in with us. Some parts of this study will be familiar to you such as the interview and the eye tracking. Other parts will be new, such as the MRI and the intelligence testing. Please take your time to look through all of the information on our website. You will find detailed information on MRI as well as information on each part of this study.

Eye Tracking and Questionnaires

If your child is 4 or 5 years old we will ask that you bring them into our office at Brightleaf Square (As you did in The Preschool Well-Being Study). If your child is 6 or 7 your child will start on Part 2 of our study.
During this part of the study we will ask that you fill out a packet of questionnaires. We will take a photo of you, your child, and their favorite toy and then have your child sit in front of the large computer screen that can track their eye movement while they watch pictures as they flash on the computer screen. This part of the study will take around 1 hour and we will compensate you $40.00 for your participation.

We ask that you read about part 2 of the study (MRI) before you agree to do part 1 of this study. This study will take 2-5 years to complete depending on your child’s age. We will ask that you come to our office once a year to complete these questionnaires and to administer Eye Tracking. You will be compensated for each visit to our office. Once your child is 6 years old we will ask that you participate in Part 2 of this study.

This part of the study will take place in our offices at:

Brightleaf Square
905 W Main St
Durham, NC 27701

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Interview, and Intelligence Testing

Duke Children’s Hospital
2301 Erwin Road, Durham, NC 27710

We provide Valet Parking at the Hospital!
From I-85
Take Hillandale Road (exit 174A). If coming from the South/West, turn right onto Hillandale Road. If coming from the North/East, turn left onto Hillandale Road, which becomes Fulton Street.
Fulton St will end at Erwin and you can go straight through the light into the hospitals Valet Parking.

From 15-501 Bypass
Exit onto Durham Freeway (exit 108B).
Take Fulton Street (exit 15B) right.
Fulton St will end at Erwin and you can go straight through the light into the hospitals Valet Parking.
From Durham Freeway North (147):
Take Fulton Street (exit 15B) left.
Fulton St will end at Erwin and you can go straight through the light into the hospitals Valet Parking.

*An experimenter will meet you near the fish tank in the lobby.

Part 2

At age 6- Brightleaf Square:

We will conduct an eye scan with your child, as we did in The Duke Preschool Well Being Study. We will also administer a short intelligence test with your child. This session will take about 2 hours to complete. We
will compensate you $40.00 for your participation. We will also ask that you complete an interview that is very similar the interview used in the previous study. This can be done at our offices at Brightleaf Square or we can come to your home. This session will take about 2-3 hours to complete and we will compensate you $75.00 for your participation.

Duke Children’s Hospital:

We will take pictures of your child’s brain using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at the Duke Children’s Hospital. Before we enter the actual scanner we will do a “Practice Scan” in our mock scanner room to help prepare your child for the actual scan. While your child is in the scanner we will have you fill out a few brief questionnaires about how your child has been feeling and acting. This session will take 2 hours to complete
and we will compensate you $75.00 for your participation.

Functional MRI uses a strong magnetic field to take pictures of the brain. It is non-invasive and safe. When you come in for a study, you will begin by meeting an experimenter at the fish tank in the Duke Children’s Hospital. The experimenter will explain the procedures of the study and will answer any questions that you may have. The experimenter will discuss consent and screening forms with you, to ensure both that you understand the study and that you can safely participate. We will then go to the Mock Scanner room where we will prepare your child for the actual scan by having them lie in a hollowed out version of the real scanner. We will play a CD with the sounds that they will hear while they are in the scanner and let them watch a short movie. Once they feel that they are comfortable and ready we will move over to the actual scan room.

How should I prepare for the MRI scan?

Remember that no metal is allowed in or near the MRI scanner. So, on the day of your child’s scan, do not let them wear clothing or accessories that contain metallic components. Such items include clothing with metal studs, inserts, or pins (zippers are fine), bras with under-wires, earrings or other body piercings, jewelry, and/or metal hair clips/pins, shoes with metal tips, glitter lotion, or any other type of metal clothing articles.
**We will have your child go through a metal detector before entering the scanner room.**

Make sure that your child does not drink a large amount of liquids before the scan! Especially sodas! (This will reduce the likelihood that they will have to use the restroom in the middle of the scan). Once you and your child are ready to begin the experiment, they will lie down on a platform next to the MR scanner. An experimenter will center your child’s head on the platform, and will put padding around the sides of their head for comfort. Then, the platform will slowly move into the center of the MR scanner. They will be able to talk with the experimenters, you, and the MRI Technician through a two-way intercom system and one of our staff will be in the scanner room with your child during the entire scan. This scan will take about an hour and during the scanning session the experimenters will talk with your child to see how they are doing. As in all research at Duke, you will be free to stop participating in the study at any time you choose. At the end of the session we will print a picture of your child’s brain and frame it for them to take home.

What about compensation?

We will compensate you for the time that the assessments take. You will receive $75.00 after your child has completed the scan.

Is there anything to be worried about?

An MRI scanner uses magnetic fields and radio waves to create images of your child's brain. There are no known health risks involved. In fact, approximately 30,000 MRI scans are done daily across the United States, and people can participate in as many MRI scans as they wish. The only persons put at risk are those who have any form of metal in their body. That is why we are meticulous in our efforts to do thorough screening over the phone and also in person. It is in the interest of both the researcher and especially the volunteer that all responses to screening questions are absolutely truthful.

To reschedule or schedule an interview or ask questions, please call Kristen Wunker at
(919) 687-4686 ext. 300
If you are scheduled for a scan and need to reach someone the day of the scan you can call Kristen Wunker’s cell phone at (919) 259-3961

Project Coordinator: Kristen Wunker
(919) 687-4686 Ext 300