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Mirror Neuron Network Dysfunction as an Early Biomarker of Neurodevelopmental Disorder

NCT03307317 · Status: RECRUITING · Type: OBSERVATIONAL · Enrollment: 200

Last updated 2026-05-22

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Background:

People show changes in brain activity when they watch other people do actions. This may be part of early social and communication skills. Researchers want to understand the stages of normal development of motor observation and imitation in people and how it relates to social development in infants and toddlers.

Objective:

To study the nature of brain activity that underlies typical brain functioning in infants, toddlers, and adults.

Eligibility:

Infants ages 8 12 months

Healthy adults ages 18 65

Design:

Adult participants will have one visit. They will:

Answer questions about their family, like its size and ethnicity.

Answer questions about their own behavior and do a simple motor task.

Have EEG/fNIRS. A damp elastic cap with small sensors will be placed on the head. Participants will observe stimuli, either on a video screen or of a live person. The sensors will be connected to a computer. That will record the participant s brain activity while watching pictures on a screen.

Infant participants will have 2 visits.

Their parents will answer questions about their family.

The parents will fill out forms about their child s development. These will be mailed to them before each visit.

Parents will stay with their infant while study staff does an assessment of the child s communication, motor, and thinking skills.

Infants will have EEG/fNIRS.

Infants who are at risk for developmental delays will come back for another visit when they are about 2 years old. This will repeat the infant visits but it will not include EEG/fNIRS.

Some questionnaires and assessments will be videotaped.

...

Conditions

  • Developmental Delay

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

    lead NIH

Principal Investigators

  • Amir H Gandjbakhche, Ph.D. · Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Eligibility

Min Age
9 Months
Max Age
65 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2018-08-30
Primary Completion
2030-02-01
Completion
2031-02-01

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT03307317 on ClinicalTrials.gov