Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Calculus Problem Solving

NCT00060658 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: 03017803-N-0178
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 60
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study will use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to identify brain regions involved in solving algebraic math problems. It will examine brain activation according to the level of difficulty and the number of steps required to solve the problem. This information will help identify a possible correlation between problem-solving strategies and patterns of brain activation. Undergraduate or graduate students between 19 and 36 years of age who have completed at least 2 years of college, have had at least one college course in integral calculus, and who have no history of neurological disease may be eligible for this study. Candidates will be screened with a medical history, including psychiatric and neurological information. Participants will be asked to mentally solve a variety of integral calculus problems while undergoing MRI scanning, a procedure that uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to produce images of structural and chemical changes in the brain. During the scan, the subject lies on a table in a narrow cylinder (the scanner) containing a magnetic field. A problem and possible solution are presented to the subject, who presses a button to verify if the answer is correct. At the end of the test, the participant completes a follow-up questionnaire to determine the problem-solving strategies used.

Conditions

Healthy

Keywords

Prefrontal Cortex; Calculation; Mathematician; Cognition; Brain Mapping; Healthy Volunteer; HV

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Graduate students and undergraduate students who have completed two years of college.
• They also must have taken at least one college course in Integral Calculus.
• Age range: 19-40.
• Right-handedness (some left-handed subjects may be recruited for preliminary behavioral studies).

You may not qualify if:

• Individuals with a neurological or psychiatric history or medical condition that would constrain interpretation of their performance during functional neuroimaging studies will be excluded.
• Individuals with contraindications to exposure to high magnetic field.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS): lead

Study Sites (1)

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States

Location

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Sponsor Type: NIH

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 8, 2003
• First Posted: May 9, 2003
• Study Start: May 1, 2003
• Study Completion: March 1, 2005
• Last Updated: March 4, 2008

Record last verified: 2005-03

Locations

US (1)