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NEWSLETTERCentreforBrain&Cogni.veDevelopment
Thank You to our funders, including:
Au.s.ca|AutourdeWilliams|Bill&MelindaGatesFounda.on|Bri.sh
Academy|CharlesWolfsonCharitableTrust|DaiwaFounda.on|Economicand
SocialResearchCouncil|EuropeanCommission|TheGreatBritainSasakawa
Founda.on|HealthEnterprisesEastLimited|Innova.veMedicinesIni.a.ve|
LeverhulmeTrust|L’Oreal|MauriceWohlCharitableFounda.on|Medical
ResearchCouncil|NuffieldFounda.on|TheRayneFounda.on|RoyalSociety|
SimonsFounda.on|WaterlooFounda.on|WellcomeTrust|TheWolfson
Founda.on|
@BirkbeckBabylab
ReadytoLearn2KatarinaBegus,TeodoraGligaandVictoriaSouthgate
As adults, we know thatwe learn bestwhenwe are interested inwhatwe arelearning.Inaddi=on,whenweareinterested,weprepareourselvessothatwecanprocess and remember as much informa=on as possible. This preparedness forlearning is reflected in par=cular brain states, the intensity of which we canmeasureandusetopredicthowwellinforma=onwillbelearned.
Following our first study, Ready to Learn, which showed that we can measure the same brainac=va=oninbabieswhentheyexpecttohearnewinforma=on,wehavefurtherinves=gatedhowthisac=va=on affects babies’ learning. We gave infants different objects, varying in complexity, andmeasured theirbrainac=va=on (usinganEEG sensornet)while theyexplored them.Weexpectedthatdifferentobjectswouldelicitdifferentdegreesof interestwhich, in turn,shouldelicitdifferentdegreesofthisbrainac=va=onand,therefore,differentlevelsoflearningabouttheobjects’features.Wetestedhowwellthebabieslearnttheobjects’featuresbyshowingthempicturesofeachobjectthattheyhaveexplored,pairedwithverysimilar,yetslightlydifferentobjects, toseewhethertheyno=cedthedifferences.
WhatisaGoodNight’sSleep? ManuelaPischandAnneReKarmiloff‐Smith
We found that those objects that had elicited most brainpreparedness to learnwere indeed remembered beRer attest,whichmeanswe can use thismeasure to studywhatinfantsfind interes=ng,andhowtonurture these interestsandencouragebabies’ownac=veengagementinlearning.
Objectpairsusedinthestudy
Althoughquitealotisknownabouttheadvantageouseffectsofsleepinadultsandolderchildren,theroleofsleepininfancyiss=llverypoorlyunderstood.Wehavebeeninves=ga=ngwhichsleeppaRernsrelatetothesocialandcogni=vedevelopmentofbabies–forexample,doesnightsleephavedifferenteffectstodaysleep,anddoesitmaRerifababyiswakingupoWen?
We tested certain aspects of babies’ cogni=vedevelopment (memory and aRen=on), socialdevelopment inan interac=onwiththeirparents,as well as their sleep paRerns at 4, 6, 8 and 10months.Weares=llanalysing thedata,buthaveso far found that sleep paRerns change mostbetween4and6months,andthatmoresleep isrelatedtobeRermemoryabili=es.
Ourresearchfindings……
BabyStepsPredic.onStudiesCarinaDeKlerk,VictoriaSouthgateandMarkJohnson
Beingabletopredictwhatsomeonewilldonextisanimportantskillforcoopera=ngwithandunderstandingothers.Someresearchershavesuggestedthatinfantscanonlyaccuratelypredictanotherperson’son‐goingac=oniftheyhaveexperiencewithperformingthisac=onthemselves.However,asinfantsspendaconsiderableamountof=mesimplywatchingothers’ac=onswewonderedwhethervisualexperiencealonemighthelpinfantstopredictothers’ac=ons.Totestthisideaweinves=gatedinfants’abilitytopredictac=onsthattheycannotyetperformthemselves,andofwhichtheyhavedifferentamountsofvisualexperience.
Looking.me:Inthisstudypre‐walkinginfantswatchedvideosofsteppingac=onsthatwereeitherinthenormaluprightorienta=on,orthatwereturnedupsidedown(asinthepicturesabove).Thesesteppingac=onswerebrieflyobscuredfromthebabies’view,aWerwhichtheyre‐appeared,eithercon=nuedcorrectly(ina=me‐coherentway)orincorrectly(ina=me‐incoherentway).Infants’looking=messuggestedthattheywereonlyabletodis=nguishbetweenthecorrectandincorrectac=oncon=nua=onswhentheywerewatchingthesteppingac=onsinthenormal,visuallyfamiliar,orienta=on.Astheinfantsinthisstudywerenotwalkingyet,thisdemonstratesthatmotorexperienceisnotalwaysnecessaryforaccurateac=onpredic=onandsuggeststhat,some=mes,visualexperiencealonemightbesufficient.
EEG:Weknowfrompreviousstudiesthatthemotorareasofthebrainareinvolvedinpredic=ngothers’ac=ons.UsingtheEEGtechnique,wethereforemeasuredtheac=va=onintheseareaswhilepre‐walkinginfantswatchedtheuprightandinvertedsteppingac=ons.Wefoundthatinfantsshowedmoremotorcortexac=va=onwhilewatchinguprightsteppingac=ons(ac=onsweknowtheycanpredict)comparedwithwhentheywatchedinvertedsteppingac=ons(whichweknowtheycannotpredict).Thissuggeststhatinfantswereac=va=ngthemotorareasofthebrainswhentheywerepredic=nghowthesteppingac=onsshouldcon=nue,eventhoughtheydidnotyethaveanyexperienceperformingthisac=onthemselves.
TheGambiaProjectClareElwell,SarahLloyd‐Fox,KatarinaBegus,DrewHallidayandHelenMaris
A team of Babylab and University CollegeLondon (UCL) researchers recently visitedGambia,asmallcountryinWestAfrica,aspartofaproject lookingtousetheNIRStechnique(whichenablesustolookatthefunc=oningofdevelopinginfantbrains)instudiesofnutri=onand development. Approximately 165 millionchildren worldwide are under nourished, apar=cular problem facingparts of rural Africa.Malnourishmentcanaffectthedevelopmentofthe brain in childhood and has far reachingeffectsintoadulthood.In the first study of its kind to use aneuroimagingtechniquewith infants inaruralAfrican segng,we have successfully collecteddatafrom100babies,rangingfromnewbornto2yearsofage.Wehopetousethismeasureinthe future to inform studies inves=ga=ngdifferent food supplements and help assesstheir efficiency in protec=ng the brain fromabnormaldevelopment.
Callfordona.onsofbabyclothes!As part of the work done on nutri=oninterven=on,thevillage,whereweconductedourproject, has a rehabilita=on clinic, which sees anumber of malnourished infants and toddlers.Despite the climate in Sub‐SaharanAfrica,warmclothingfortheclinic isveryusefulforwhenthebabies are unwell. Before our third visit, wecollectedsomebabyclothesandchildren’sbooksfromstaffmembersaswellasourBabylabparentvolunteers and were delighted to pass thegenerousdona=onsontothechildrenofGambia.We would very much like to con=nue with thisworkandcollectdona=onsona regularbasis tohelpthechildrenintheclinicandare,therefore,askingforyourhelp:
If you have any used infant clothing (age 0‐3years)thatyouwouldbehappytodonate,pleasebring them with you on your next visit to theBabylab! We are excited to facilitate a directtransferfromyourhandstothehandsofpeoplewho would very much appreciate these items.Oursincerestthanks,inadvance,foranythingyoumightbeabletodonate!
Photosfromourpreviousdona5onstotherehabilita5onclinic,thelocalprimaryschoolandthewomen’sgardenproject.
Gambianinfantspar5cipa5nginourstudies.
TheSightedBabiesofBlindParentsStudyAtsushiSenju,NatasaGanea,AngelinaVerneg,LeslieTucker,KimDavies,GregPasco,KristelleHudry,MayadaElsabbagh,TonyCharmanandMarkJohnson
Infantshaveanamazingcapacitytolearnfromadults.Suchcapacityforsocialcommunica=ondevelopsrapidlyinthefirstfewyearsoflife.Themainpurposeofthisstudyistoexplorehowsightedbabiesofblindparentsdevelopthebrainmechanismsandskillsforsocialcommunica=on,andinpar=cularhowtheirbrainslearntoprocessfacesandgaze,andhowtheydevelopskillsforface‐to‐facecommunica=on.
In this study, babies visit the Babylabwith their blind parents twoor three=mes,ataroundfive,nineandfourteenmonthsofage.Wealsofollowthemupattwotofouryearsofage,whenweeithervisittheirhomeorinvitethemback to the Babylab. During each visit, babies watch several images andmovies of faces during which we record their eye movement and brainac=vity. Babies alsoplay games assessing visual,motor, language and socialskillsdevelopment.
So far 15 babies and their blind parents have visited the Babylab, and five of them havecompletedallthevisits.Fromtheseini=alfivebabies,wehavefoundthatthewaythesebabiesreacttosightedadults isthesameasthebabiesofsightedparents.However,sightedbabiesofblindparentsareabletoflexiblychangehowtheycommunicatewhentheyplaywiththeirblindparents ‐ they used less eye gaze and more vocal communica=on. We also found that thesebabies developmore advanced skills in visual aRen=on andmemory. For example, they werebeReratrememberingthe loca=onofahiddentoy.Theseresultsshowthat infants'brainscanflexiblylearnhowtocommunicateeffec=velywithdifferentadults.Wes=llneedmorebabiestotakepart!Formoredetailspleasevisitourwebpage(www.cbcd.bbk.ac.uk/babylab/SIBP).
4‐6‐9Follow‐UpStudyofExecu.veFunc.onsKarlaHolmboe
Execu=vefunc=onsinvolveabili=essuchaskeepingthingsinyourmemory,payingaRen=on,mul=‐taskingandinhibi=ngunwantedac=ons.In2005‐2007,KarlaHolmboe(thenaPhDstudent)carriedoutastudyattheBabylablookingatexecu=vefunc=onsinbabies.Sheisnow(asaResearchFellowatEssexUniversity)runningafollow‐upstudyinordertounderstandmoreaboutwhetherexecu=vefunc=ons in infancycanpredictanythingaboutchildren’sexecu=vefunc=ons,schoolperformanceandsocialskillslaterinchildhood.
Tes=ng takes place during home visits, and the study also involves ques=onnaires completed byparentsandteachers.Theoriginalpar=cipantgroupconsistedofmorethan100babieswhoweretested at 4, 6 and9monthsof age. Therehasbeena fantas=c return rateof 90%and so far 36childrenhavebeenfollowedupat8yearsofage.Karlawouldliketothankallthefamilieswhohavealready par=cipated in the follow‐up study (and she looks forward to seeing the rest in 2014) –withoutyouthisresearchsimplywouldnotbepossible.Thechildrenhavebeenbrilliantandsuchfuntoworkwith!
Kaipar5cipa5ngintheoriginalstudyin2006andthefollow‐upstudyin2014.
BabyFixa.ons:Howdobabiesmovetheireyes?Ira=RodriguezSaezdeUrabain,TimSmithandMarkJohnson
Infants’eyesareanopenwindowtocogni=vedevelopmentandbystudyingtheirgaze,researcherscanlearnagreatdealaboutdevelopmentalchangesthatoccurduringthefirstyearoflife.
iCue:Whichfaceisgivinganinforma.vecue? KristenSwan‐TummeltshammerandNatashaKirkham
Inthisstudywefollowedtwogroupsofbabiesfrom3to6monthsandfrom6to12monthsoldinorder to inves=gatehowthecontrolofeyemovementsdevelopsover thefirstyearof life. Ineachvisitwemonitored theireyemovementswhile theywereviewing (1)a setofnaturalis=cvideos inwhich three people perform various baby‐friendly ac=ons, (2) a set of abstract non‐social videoscreatedbypixela=ngsomeofthevideosin(1),and(3)sta=cpictures.
Results reveal that at 3 months old babies gaze is mainlydrivenbyfactorssuchascolourorcontrast,whereasfrom4months of age they start to use more complex viewingstrategies, and adapt their eye‐movements to differentviewing condi=ons. Also, preliminary simula=ons withcomputer models of eye movement control show howdevelopment can be explained in terms of more efficientvisualandcogni=veprocessing.
Wewonderedwhether infants candis=nguishcues thatgivegood informa=on fromcues thataremisleading or inaccurate. For example,will babies follow a face that is looking thewrongway?Weintroduced8‐month‐oldstotwofaces,onereliablefacethatalwayslookedattheboxwhereapicturewouldappear,andasecondunreliablefacethatlookedonly25%ofthe=meatthepictureandtherestof the=meatanemptybox.AWer familiarisingthebabieswiththesefacesandtheirreliability,weshowedthemblanktrials,duringwhichnopicturesappeared,andwe used an eye‐tracker to record where the babies looked. Did they know which face wasreliable?
TheanswerwasYes!The8‐month‐olds looked inthesameboxwherethereliable facehad looked, tellingusthattheyexpectedapicturetoappearthere.Thebabiesdidnot look intheboxwheretheunreliablefacehad looked,and instead lookedrandomly inall fourboxes,tellingusthattheydidnotexpecttheunreliablefacetogivegoodinforma=onabout the picture’swhereabouts. This study shows that 8‐month‐oldsare highly sensi=ve to the accuracy of different people and that theycan use informa=on about a person’s reliability to modify theirbehaviour.
‘Ready…Go!’ThemovinghandsEMGstudyCasparAddyman,SineadRochaandDenisMareschal
Ourprevious‘InfantTimeMachine’studyrevealedthateveninfantsasyoungas4monthscanlearnthe=mingofarepea=ngvisualevent.Inthecurrentstudywewantedtoseeiftheycanmakeuseoftheir=mingknowledgeintherealworld.BabiesplayedagamewheretheyheldSinead’shandsasshemovedthemupanddowninaregularrhythm.FirstSineadwouldsay‘Ready’,pauseforafixedamountof=me,thensay‘Go!’andliWthebabies’armsupanddown.AWersevenprac=cetrialstogiveinfantsachancetolearnthe=ming,Sineadwouldsay‘Ready’thenpauseanddonothing.
Wemeasuredinfants’muscleac=vitytoseeiftheywouldan=cipateamovementtocon=nuethegame.Therewerefastandslowversionsofthegamethattook2or4seconds.Wefoundthatfromasyoungasfourmonthsoldinfantsshowedmuscleac=vitytwosecondsaWerthe‘ready’cueinthe2‐secondcondi=on,andfoursecondsaWerinthe4‐secondcondi=on.Thesefindingssuggestthatfromveryearlyinlifeinfantsareabletouse=minginforma=ontostructuretheirphysicalinterac=ons.
ThiswasourfirststudyusingournewEMGequipmentattheBabylab.EMG(orelectromyography)allowsustomeasuremuscleac=va=onusingspecialsensorsdesignedforbabies,andissensi=veenoughtopickupevenan=cipa=onofmovement,aswellasmoreeasilyvisiblekicking,reachingandwriggling!ItworksinthesamewayasourwhiteEEGnets,butinsteadof128sensorsonthehead,wehavejusttwosensorsthatareheldinplacewiths=ckersonthearmandhiddenunderneaththebabies’clothes.
Thankstoallthebabieswhocameandplayedsonicelywithus!Ournextstudywillcombinetheresultsofthesetwostudieswithinfantseitherreachingfororjustwatchingatoythatappearsatregularintervals.Wewanttoseeifbabieshavegreater=mingaccuracywhentheyaremorephysicallyinvolved.Wehopetoseesomeofyouforthisinthenextfewmonths!
ToonTimeEMGStudyCasparAddyman,SineadRochaandDenisMareschal
Somebabiesfromthe‘MovingHands’studyalsotookpartin‘ToonTime’whichcomparedbabies’movementinataskwheretheycanlearnthe=mingofanevent,versusataskwithnoconsistent=ming.Inthisstudy,babieswatchedacartoonvideoclipthatwouldpauseeveryfewsecondsandshowablankscreen.Forhalftheinfants,thispausewasalways6secondslong;theremaininginfantssawthesamevideo,butthelengthofthepausewouldalwaysvary,sothevideocouldresumeatany=me.Wehypothesizethatinfantsmayusemovementtocalibratetheires=ma=onsof=me,andthereforethatbabiesseeingtheconsistently=medpausewillshowcorrespondingmovement.Again,wemeasuredmuscleac=vityusingEMG.WearecurrentlyanalysingthedataandwillupdateyouontheresultsinthenextnewsleRer!
TheMovingHandsstudywasfeaturedintheDailyPlanetShow,ontheDiscoveryChannelCanada.Aboveisascreenshotoftheshowfeaturingthenowinterna=onallyfamouspar=cipantsGreta(leW)andOlive(right)!
BabyTouchMaria‐LauraFilippeg,SarahLloyd‐FoxandMarkJohnson
Theabilitytodifferen=ateyourownbodyfromothersisafundamentalskill,cri=calforhumans’abilitytointeractwiththeirenvironmentsandthepeopleinthem.Weknowfromadultstudiesthattheintegra=onofinforma=onfromdifferentsensesiskeytobodyawareness.Wewereinterestedinfindingouthownewbornslearntodis=nguishtheirbodiesfromothersandwhetherthesamemechanismsinvolvedinbodypercep=oninadultsarepresentatbirth.
Wemeasuredthe lookingbehaviourof1‐ to3‐day‐oldnewbornspresentedwithavideo of another baby’s face being touched on the cheekwith a soW paintbrush,while the newborn’s corresponding cheekwas either stroked at the same=meorwitha=medelay.Thenewbornsshowedgreaterinterestinlookingattheotherbaby’sfaceonlywhenthetouchmatchedthetouchthattheywerealsoexperiencing.Wehavealsofoundthat the babies were less interested when the face was presented upside down,makingitlessrelatabletothemselves.
Wewerealsointerestedinlookingathowtheinfantbrainrespondstobodyawareness.Brainac=vitywasmeasuredwhile5‐month‐oldbabieswerewatchingvideosoftheirownfacetouchedbyapaintbrush,eitheratthesame=meorwithatemporaldelay.Theanalysisofbrainac=va=onrevealedcommonbrainmechanismsofbodyawarenessbetweeninfantsandadults.Wearenowlookingatdifferentfactorsthathelpbabiestounderstandthedifferencebetweenselfandothers.
RememberStudyBarbaraPomiechowska,TeodoraGligaandNatashaKirkham
InaseriesofEEGstudieswe inves=gatedbabies’memoryfordifferentobjects.Our12‐month‐old par=cipants saw cartoons in which objects came onto a stage, wereobscured,andthenreappeared.Wewereinterestedtoseehowthebabybrainwouldrespond if instead of showing the same toy aWer the occlusion (an expectedoutcome),wewouldpresentadifferentone(anunexpectedoutcome):Wouldweseeasurprisereac5oninbrainac5vity?
We observed that if babies arepresented with familiar objects, thebabybrainno=ces theobjectchangeonly when we replace the originalobject with a new object from adifferent object family (e.g., wereplace a shoe with a car), but notwhen the original object is replacedwithadifferentobjectfromthesameobject family (e.g., a blue shoe isreplacedwithapinkshoe).However,when babies watch unfamiliarobjects,theirbrainreactstoeventhesmallesttypesofobjectchange.
This suggests that the response of thebrain to the toy change depends ontheir knowledge of objects and objectfamilies.Itseemsthatforfamiliarkindsofthings(e.g.,shoe,car,ball,dog,teddybear,etc.),infantsmemorizeonlyobjectfeatures that are important and sharedacross all different instances of thegiven kind (e.g., being round issomething sharedbyall theballs).Thismight make it difficult for them todifferen=ate individuals of the samekind, but might be very helpful wheninfants start to acquire genericknowledge.
OurExci.ngNews!
We are delighted to announce that we have received £3.7 million to build a newToddlerLab, thanks to generous dona=ons from the Maurice Wohl CharitableFounda=onandtheWolfsonFounda=on.
FundingsecuredfornewWohlWolfsonToddlerLab
Building a new Lab especially for toddlers will allow us to con=nue to studydevelopmentasbabiesgetolder(andmoremobile!).Currently,theBabylab’sfacili=esarenotdesignedtostudytoddlers,whorequiremorespaceastheycarryoutvariousdailyac=vi=es,includingwalkingandplaying.
Using the latest wireless technologies, theWohlWolfson ToddlerLab will enable theadvancedscien=ficstudyofbraindevelopmentforchildrenfrom18monthstothreeorfour years in an environment simula=ng familiar surroundings for toddlers. Studyingbrainac=vityduringsleepwillalsobepossible,therebyprovidingvaluabledataabouthowsleepimpactsonchilddevelopment.
TheToddlerLabwilladjoinourbuildingat32TorringtonSquare,wheresomeofyoumayhave par=cipated in studies in the past. At themoment the ToddlerLab is s=ll in theplanning stages,butwehope for theseexci=ngnew facili=es toopen in spring2016.Welookforwardtokeepingyouup‐to‐datewithourprogress!
Ar#st’sImpression
Visit http://www.cbcd.bbk.ac.uk/research
to sign up and learn more!
Ourcolleaguesnowhavestudiesavailableforchildrenaged4‐16years
Doesyourbabyhaveoldersiblings?Psychologists at Birkbeck are looking forchildrenaged4–16years topar=cipatein exci=ng research studies designed toimprove our understanding of the manyimportant psychological changes thatoccuronthepathtoadulthood.
Inaddi=onto theBabylabdatabasethatyouhavealreadysignedupto,wenowhaveaChildren’sResearchRegisterthatyoucanjoinonline ifyouhaveanolderchildwhomightwanttotakepart.JoiningourChildren’sResearchRegisterwillallowresearcherstocontactyouaboutstudieswearerunningthatmightinterestyouandyourchild.AswiththeBabylab,youwouldbecalledwhenyourchildistherightageforapar=cularstudy,andareundernoobliga=ontotakepart;youcanpar=cipateasmanyoras few=mesasyouwish.Like at the Babylab, all our studies are designed to be fun and engaging forchildren.Most involvewatching videos, playing some kindof computer gameorplayinganinterac=vegamewiththeresearcher.Tes=ngsessionsareconductedatBirkbeckinCentralLondon,withreimbursementfor your travel expenses. Some take part in the Babylab building but others areacrossthiscentralcampus(inoraroundTorringtonSquare,WC1E).Theresearcherwillletyouknowexactlywheretogoforpar=cularstudies.
Weareverypleasedtoannouncethatwehavebegunanewlongitudinalstudyofinfants with older siblings. This study will build on the many exci=ng andimportantresultsfromourpreviousBri=shAu=smStudyofInfantSiblings(BASIS)studies. Weareextremelygratefultoallthefamilieswhopar=cipatedinthesestudies,andwelookforwardtowelcomingmanynewfamiliesintothenextpartofourproject.
Our new study is called the STAARSproject, which stands for StudyingAu=smandADHDRiskinSiblings,andis funded by the Medical ResearchCouncil and EU‐AIMS. As part ofSTAARS, we will con=nue to studyinfants with older siblings withau=sm. However, we will also bewelcoming families who have aninfant and an older child withaRen=on defic i t /hyperac=v i tydisorder (ADHD) into our new study.ADHDaffectsmanyyoungchildren intheUK,andADHDsymptomsareverycommon in children with ASD. Wethink it is important to understandwhat early risk factors might bespecific to ASD or ADHD, and whichriskfactorsmightbesharedacrossthetwocondi=ons.
ANNOUNCINGTHESTAARSPROJECTStudyingAu.smandADHDRiskinSiblings
Anotheraspectof theSTAARSproject is thatwe are working in partnership with otherresearchgroups inEurope.Ourcolleagues inSweden,theNetherlandsandBelgiumwillbeusing some of our tasks with infants whohave older siblings with au=sm, andwewillbe sharing our data with them. Joiningtogetherhelpsus toseewhetherour resultscan be applied to much larger groups ofchildren, which is an important step inmoving towards clinical applica=ons of ourresearchfindings.
Doyouhaveachildwithau.smand/orADHD?Areyouexpec.ngababy,ordoyouhaveaninfantunder10months?IfyouareinterestedinlearningmoreabouttheSTAARSstudy,
pleasecallJaniceFernandeson02070790761
Welookforwardtohearingfromyou!
In the STAARS project, we will be looking at infants from very early indevelopment.Familiescanjointhestudyduringpregnancy,orwhentheirbabyisup to 10 months old. With our partners at King’s College London and theUniversity of Cambridge, somebabieswill par=cipate in our study in their firstdays of life. Other babies will come into our study when they are 3, 5 or 10monthsold.Wehavestudyvisitsat5months,10months,14months,and2‐and3‐years. During visits we measure what infants like to do, what they areinterested in lookingatandhow theirbrainsaredeveloping.Allourgamesaredesignedtobefunforinfantsandtheirfamilies. Wehopethatthiswillhelpustolearnmoreaboutearlyriskfactorsforau=smandADHD.
ToddlerRowanhelpingwithhisDNAcheekswab
Aprojectyoucantakepartinfromhome!
TheUniversity of Liverpool, alongside Lancaster and LincolnUniversi=es,would like toinviteyou to takepart in thebiggestUK studyof children’sfirstwords! Called theUKCommunica=ve Development Inventory (UK‐CDI) Project, this is your chance tocontributetoahugestudyfromthecomfortofyourownhome.
Parents who take part will be contribu=ng to cugng‐edge research andwill receive aunique,personalisedmementoof their child’s reportedwordsorgestures tokeepasalas=ng memory of their early development. They will also receive free access to theanonymisedna=onaldatabaseonceitisready.
Ifyouwouldliketotakepart,orsimplywanttofindoutmore,goto:www.uk‐cdi.ac.uk/take‐part/
andsignuptoreceiveaParentPack.Thispackissentouttoyouraddressandcontainsmoreinforma=onandtheques=onnaires.Ifyoudecidetotakepart,yousimplyfillintheques=onnairesandsendthembackinafreepostenvelopetotheresearchteam.
Takingpartiseasy:allyouhavetodoisfillinsomeshortques=onnairesaboutyou,yourbabyandyourbaby’swordsandgestures.Thisshouldonlytakeabout30minutes.
DoyouknowanybabieswithDownsyndrome?
BabieswithDownsyndromehaveanextracopyofchromosome21andoneofthegenesimplicated inAlzheimer’s (theAPPgene) is locatedon that chromosomeand thusover‐expressed throughout development. Despite 100%of individualswithDown syndromegegngthebrainpathologyofAlzheimersbyaboutage30years,notallgoontodevelopdemen=a.Whatprotectsthosewhodonot?Whataretheriskfactorsforthosewhodo?
IfyouhaveafriendwhohasayoungchildwithDownsyndrome,doencouragethemtocontactus:[email protected].
We’dlovetohavethempar.cipateinourstudy!
AnneRe Karmiloff‐Smith, with George Ball and EshaMassand, are studying babies withDown syndrome to see if they can iden=fyearlymarkers at the gene=c, cellular, neural,cogni=ve,behaviouralorenvironmentallevelsofriskandprotec=vefactors,thatonecouldthentargetfor interven=oninearlydevelopment. They’ve joinedforceswithagroupatUniversityCollege Londonwhoare studyingadultswithDownsyndromeaswell aswithcolleagues at St. Thomas Hospital, Londonwho are imaging the brains of foetuseswithDownsyndromewho,aWerbirth,willjoinourproject.Infantsandtoddlersbetween6and60 months come to the Babylab and do all sorts of fun tasks related to aRen=on andmemory.
OurNewArrivals
Finally,wewouldliketowelcomethenewestaddi=onstoourlab,thebeau=fulbabiesborntoBabylabstaffin2013.Congratula=onstoeveryonewhowelcomedababythisyear!
Dr.VictoriaSouthgateandbabyCicely,born26/1/13
KristenSwan‐TummeltshammerandbabyFinn,born30/10/13
Dr.LukeMasonandbabyElizabeth,born25/5/13
RichardHenning‐BrodersenandbabySebas=en,born27/11/13
Q:Ireceivedmypacketofinforma.onfromtheBabylabmonthsago,butI’venotbeenaskedtopar.cipateinastudy...willIgetacall?A: Whether or not you are called for anappointment is completely dependent on thestudies that are currently running. Each studyhas an age range that is specific to a par=cularstage of infant development. If you have notbeen contacted it is not because we haveforgoRenaboutyou,itisonlybecauseyourbabydoes not fit into the age range of one of ourcurrent studies. Our studies are constantlybeginningandendingsonewopportuni=esmayarise!
Q: Can I find out if my baby isdeveloping normally from thedata you collect during yourstudies?A:AttheBabylab,wedonotstudythe performance of individualbabies. Our studies are notintendedtobediagnos=cteststhatgiveresultsonthedevelopmentoftheindividual‐theinforma=onwereceivefromthebabiesisgroupedtoprovideoverallresults.
Q:IwouldliketovisittheCentre,butwouldliketofindoutmoreabouttravelarrangements.Howisitdone?A:Wewill always cover any travel expenses up tomaximum of £50 when you come to visit theBabylab. If you livewithin a 5 mile radius of theBabylab(accordingtoour listofpostcodes)wecanprovide a taxi service to our Centre. If you areoutside our taxi zone you will need to make yourownarrangements–justkeepyourreceiptsandwewillreimburseyouduringyourvisit.Alterna=vely,ifyouchosetodrivein,wehavesomeparkingspacesclosetotheBabylab.Wewillreimburseyourpetrolcostsalongwiththeconges=oncharge,thoughyouwillneedtoremembertopayityourselfontheday!If you are unsure as to how to pay the chargewecanhelpyouthroughtheprocessduringyourvisit..
Q: What ifmybabyisasleep,hungryorneedschanginguponarrival?A:ManybabiesfallasleepduringtheirjourneytotheBabylab.Wetryto letthebabiesmaketheirown schedule. We want happy babies so thattheywillbecontenttositthroughourstudies.Ifababyis=red,hungryorwet,theyareunlikelytowanttopar=cipate.Therefore,weencourageyouto carryonwith their normal schedule as far aspossible, even if it is during a visit. We havechanging facili=es at the Babylab and you canalsofeedyourbabyintherecep=onarea.Water,tea and coffee are always available for parentsandcarers. However,ifyouknowthatyourbabynaps/eats regularly during certain hours, pleasemen=onthiswhenbookinganappointment.
Q: What if my baby does not want topar.cipateontheday?A: You shouldnot feel badly if yourbabydecidestheywouldrathernotpar=cipateonthedayofyourappointment.Thiscanbe for many reasons: heat, teething,illness, =redness, etc. Some babies justfindthestudytooboringtolookat. Thisdoesnotmeanthatyourbabywillalwaysreact in this way during a study. Babieschangeday‐to‐day,hour‐to‐hour. Wewillbehappytoaskyoubackforanothervisitifyourbabycomeswithintheappropriateage‐rangeforanotherstudy.
Q: Do you eve r need adu l tpar.cipantsforyourstudies?A: Yes. Some=mes we do run studiesand require adult subjects. There arealso other studies running within theDepartment of Psychology atBirkbeckCollege.Ifyouareinterested,youcanfilloutaVolunteerFormat:hRps://psyc‐bbk.sona‐systems.com/student_new_user.aspx
FrequentlyAskedQues=ons……
TheBirkbeckBabylabislocatedintheHenryWellcomeBuilding,justoffTorringtonSquare,aroundthecornerfromtheCloreManagementBuilding(onthewalkingpathbetweenTorringtonSquareandWoburnSquare).
Signsoneithersideofthedoorssay‘TheWolfsonIns=tuteforBrainFunc=onandDevelopment’and‘TheHenryWellcomeBuilding’.
Ifdrivingandusingsatnav,please inputWC1H0AA(notourbuilding) to takeyoutoWoburnSquare.The Babylab has two areas available for parking:Woburn Square (both sides) and TorringtonSquare.Woburn Square is easier to access within the one‐way system in this area. To enterTorringtonSquareyoumustmakeyourwaythroughtheone‐waysystemtoKeppelStreettogetintoMaletStreet.TurnleWintoMaletStreetthenaliRlewaydown,makearightturnthroughtheUniversityofLondongates.DrivealiRlewaythenturnleWintoTorringtonSquare(drivedowntheslope)andparkontheright‐handsideofthesquare.WhenyouarriveattheBabylab,wewillprovide you with a temporary parking permit. If you are staying overnight for a study, werecommendthatyouparkonTorringtonSquaretoguaranteeaparkingspace.Taxidrivers: Pleaseaskthedrivertodropyououtside28WoburnSquare,WC1H0AA(notourbuilding). Once at the top of the square turn right and walk up the paved slope. The HenryWellcomeBuildingisanewbuildingontheright.
Howtofindus……
WeAreHere
We are withinwalking distance from the following sta=ons: Russell Square, Goodge Street,Euston,EustonSquare,WarrenStreet,KingsCrossandStPancras.
JointheBabylaborUpdateyourInforma=on!
Don’t losetouch! Ifyouaremovinghouseorhavinganotherbabypleaseletusknowsothatwecanupdateourrecords.Ringuson02076316258,returntheformbeloworcontactusviae‐[email protected].
IfyouhaveafriendwhoyouthinkmayenjoyavisittotheBabylabpleaseaskthemtocontactustoo.Weareconstantlyinneedofbabiesfrombirthtotwelvemonthstohelpuswithourresearch.
Parent’sname___________________________Telephone__________________
Email_____________________________________________________________
Address_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Baby’sname_______________________________________________________
Sex____________________DOB(orexpecteddate)_______________________
TheBabylabFREEPOSTRRGX‐ARGH‐SESR
CentreforBrain&Cogni.veDevelopmentTheHenryWellcomeBuildingBirkbeck,UniversityofLondon
MaletStreetLondonWC1E7HX
Forallotherenquiries,pleasephoneoremail!Tel:02076316258
E‐mail:[email protected]
Fornewrecruitsyoucanreturntheformbelowto:
Orevenmoreeasily,signuponline!Wenowhaveanonlineformyoucanusebyclickingonthe‘RegisterYourBaby’linkonthewebsite:
www.cbcd.bbk.ac.uk/babylab
