Participant Corner

Participant FAQ

Is there a cost?

There is no cost to participant in NL3 research. Participants will get compensated for their time and travel, when applicable.

How will my information be protected?

Reasonable steps will be taken to protect the privacy and the confidentiality of participants’ study data. Upon the completion of the session, the collected data will be de-identified, wherever possible, and linked with a research identification (RID) code. Your collected data will be linked only to this RID code after the completion of the session and cannot be traced back to your name or other identifiable information. Only the de-identified data will be stored electronically through a secure server indefinitely.

Who will see my information?

The only persons who will have access to your research records are the study personnel, the Institutional Review Board (IRB), and any other person, agency or sponsor as required by law. The study results may be published in scientific journals or presented at scientific meetings, but your identity will be never linked to any published data.

What are my rights as a research subject?

You may ask any questions concerning this research and have those questions answered before agreeing to participate in or during the study.

Contact the Institutional Review Board (IRB) with questions concerning participant rights or complaints about the research:

Can I withdraw at any time?

Your participation in any of our research projects is completely voluntary. You may withdraw at any time — before, during or after the research begins — for any reason.

What is Magnetic resonance imaging?

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a safe and painless scan that uses a magnetic field and radio waves to produce detailed pictures of the body’s organs and structures. An MRI scanner consists of a large doughnut-shaped magnet that often has a tunnel in the center. Participants are placed on a table that slides into the tunnel. During the scan, radio waves manipulate the magnetic position of the atoms of the body, which are picked up by a powerful antenna and sent to a computer. The computer performs millions of calculations, resulting in clear, cross-sectional black-and-white images of the body. These images can be converted into three-dimensional (3-D) pictures of the scanned area.

Watch Video
What is fMRI?

The fMRI records brain activity during MRI scan with a specific sequence. The fMRI basis is that when brain activity increases in a particular area of the brain due to cognitive tasks, the MR signal also increases in that area. The MR signal change is an indirect effect related to the changes in blood flow providing energy to the neurons.

What is fNIRS?

Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS), is the use of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for the purpose of functional neuroimaging. Using fNIRS, brain activity is measured through hemodynamic responses associated with neuron behavior. FNIRS is a non-invasive imaging method involving the quantification of chromophore concentration resolved from the measurement of near infrared (NIR) light attenuation or temporal or phasic changes.

Participant Safety

Behavioral tasks and questionnaires

All tasks and questionnaires entail common, everyday activities (using a computer, filling out forms) and have no known risks.

fNIRS

There are no known risks associated with the use of low-level infrared light from LED sources to compute oxygen levels in the human brain as implemented in fNIRS.

fNIRS

There are no known risks associated with the use of low-level infrared light from LED sources to compute oxygen levels in the human brain as implemented in fNIRS.

MRI/fMRI

To evaluate risks of participation and determine eligibility for inclusion in a MRI/fMRI study, the CB3 MRI Safety Screening Form (for youth, for others) must be filled out and reviewed with the MRI technologist. This form must be filled out to the best of participant’s knowledge as these risks may be serious and potentially life threatening. The screening form covers devices, illnesses, injuries and medical procedures that affect participant safety.

If completion of the screening form leads participant or the MRI technologist to have safety concerns, the participant may be ineligible to participate in this study, or the MRI/fMRI portion of the study may need to be rescheduled at a later date to allow the MRI technologist to gather additional information about participant’s health status to inform the level of risk.

Who is NOT allowed to have MRI scans:
  • Individuals who have internal or external metal devices in or on their body that cannot be removed, including a heart pacemaker, artificial heart valves, metal implants, chemotherapy or insulin pumps, or other such metal clips or rings.
  • Women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant.
NL3 Cautions & Risks MRI safety guide

What to Expect

Information for Parents

Here are some helpful tips to ensure that you and your child have a smooth and pleasant visit to NL3. Questions? Please call Dr. Wang directly at 402-472-0106 or email yingying.wang@unl.edu.

  • Timing: Depending on the research study you are involved in, a behavioral session or an imaging session usually takes about 2 hours.
  • Location: The study takes place in the Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior (CB3) located between gate 22 and 23 inside Memorial Stadium (east) on City Campus.
  • Parking: There are designated parking spots for research participants in front of the East stadium. Write down your car’s license number to give to the front desk staff.
  • Check-in: A research assistant will meet you and your child near the front desk and bring you to the behavioral test suite or imaging scan suite, depending on your visit type. Snacks will be available for your child.
  • What to wear: If you and your child are participating in an imaging session, please dress your child in metal-free clothing during your visit (no metal buttons or zippers). The equipment will not work properly if metal is present.
  • Please remember: Participation is totally voluntary. If you and/or your child decide to withdraw at any time during your visit, please let us know right away.
  • Consent: Before everything starts, research assistant will tell you about the study and explain exactly what will happen during the study. You will be asked to sign a consent form to allow your child to participate. If your child is older than 7 years old, he/she will sign an assent form as well.

Information for Your Child

  • You will look at pictures and answer some questions.
  • You will be playing games and watching movies while scientists take pictures of your brain.
  • The brain camera will record your brain’s activity while you do different tasks.
  • You will help us understand how brain changes when you learn to read.
  • You will get a book as your reward!

What will the session be like?

Behavioral Sessions

If you and your child are participating in a behavioral session, you will fill out questionnaires about your child’s health and development in suite B71D of CB3 while your child is tested in B71K of CB3. We will share the test scores with you.


Imaging Sessions

If you and your child are participating in an imaging session, please dress your child in metal-free clothing. We also provide scrubs for your child if he/she wish to wear scrubs.

You and your child (age 6 and younger) will first be led to the MRI simulator room. This room equipped a mock MRI scanner which is a replica of the real MRI machine without the constant powerful magnet. Your child can get comfortable with the MRI noise in this room and get familiar with the tasks which he/she will perform inside the scanner.

Before going inside the actual MRI room, you will fill out a MRI screening form for your child and our MRI technologist will go through the form and make sure your child is metal free and is safe to go inside the MRI room. You will wait at the waiting area close to the entrance of CB3.

After the imaging session, you will receive compensation for your visit and your child will get a book. Your child’s brain images will be reviewed by a neuroradiologists at University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). While extremely unlikely for normal, healthy populations, if the neuroradiologists determines that the brain images contain an abnormality that warrants medical follow-up, you will be notified as soon as possible. Dr. Wang will offer you the images in digital format on a disk, as well as the initial report from the neuroradiologists.

Practice Before Your Visit

Watch videos with your child of the tasks he or she may be asked to complete during the visit.

View Videos

Understanding MRI

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a common medical procedure used in hospitals and clinical settings in all age groups. It has been used more than 20 years and is fully approved by the Federal Drug Administration. MR images are made without using any ionizing radiation, so participants are not exposed to the harmful effects of ionizing radiation. There are no known health hazards from temporary exposure to the MR environment.


MRI

Procedure

Before the MRI scan, you will be asked to fill out a screening questionnaire (UNL MRI screening form, youth version). For your child’s safety, answering the questionnaire accurately is extremely important. In particular, notify the MRI technologist right away if your child has any implanted medical devices, such as stents, knee or hip replacements, pacemakers or drug pumps. Also, be sure to tell the technologist if your child has any tattoos or drug patches as these can cause skin irritation or burns during the scan. The technologist will need to make sure that these devices can safely enter the MRI environment.

Considerations

Some participants find the inside of the MRI scanner to be uncomfortably small and may experience claustrophobia. To produce good quality images, participants must generally remain very still throughout the entire MRI procedure.

MRI Sounds

Here is what a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) procedure sounds like in our lab:

Listen to Audio

Resources

The following initiatives, organizations and laboratories offer helpful information and resources focused on brain research and/or communication disorders.

Family Resources
Laboratories & Centers
Research Tools