Brain function for age curves in UK infants
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Developing brain function for age curves from birth using novel biomarkers of neurocognitive function
IRAS ID
178682
Contact name
Topun Austin
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Infants may be exposed to a range of risk factors before and after birth, which can affect the way their brains develop, particularly in the first two years of life. Infants from resource poor settings are particularly vulnerable to social, environmental, nutritional and pathological insults which can impact academic achievement and mental health into adulthood. In order to develop effective interventions which will protect these infants’ brains we need to understand the nature and pace of typical as well as atypical brain development in young infants. The purpose of this study is to identify key markers of brain development in UK infants from birth to 18 months of age. These markers will enable us to characterise the trajectory of typical brain development in UK infants and as such will provide a highly valuable resource for those investigating atypical brain development in infants. Infants will be recruited at birth and then studied at within the first month and then at 4, 8, 12 and 18 months of age. We will use a range of measures to provide markers of infant brain function, including the use of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and electroencephalography (EEG), behaviour, growth and socio-demographic information, and from these generate brain function for age curves which will inform on typical brain development in UK infants. We will also investigate which measures provide the most robust and reliable markers of brain development capable of providing an early indicator of atypical function.
This study is part of a larger project investigating brain development in African infants at risk of undernutrition, but its findings will have impact in a number of studies focussed on developing strategies to which are targeted at protecting the developing brain, and hence reduce the individual and global burden of long term neurocognitive deficit.REC name
East of England - Cambridge South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/EE/0200
Date of REC Opinion
3 Aug 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion