We are looking for participants for an MRI study! Are you or a friend/relative more than 50 years old? Interested in high-definition image of your/their brain?
This is an opportunity to take part in a MRI study looking at the effects of bilingualism on the brain later in life, supervised by Dr Christos Pliatsikas, Dr Holly Robson and Professor Jason Rothman. We are looking for speakers of English as a second language who live in the UK (including learning both languages from birth), and native speakers of English (with little to no experience with a second language). The participants must be 50 or more years old. This includes individuals diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment or early stages of dementia. Participants need to be right-handed and have no history of speech and/or language disorders including dyslexia. Feel free to share information about this study with friends and family members who might be interested in participating.
What do I have to do?
The study looks at effects of bilingualism over a period of time, so you will be asked to participate in two testing sessions approximately 18 months apart. The study has an MRI and a behavioural component.
An MRI scanning session will take place in the Reading Functional Imaging Facility (RFIF), in the School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading.
The behavioural component consists of some tasks tapping in various aspects of your cognition, such as attention and memory. This may take place in the School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, or at your home, depending on your preference. You will also be asked to fill out a Language Background Questionnaire.
Participants may also only participate in the behavioural component of the study, if they are not eligible for an MRI scan.
How long will it take?
The MRI scan lasts about 40 minutes. The behavioural testing may take up to 4 hours and can be done over multiple visits.
The University will cover your travel expenses. You will also receive a high-resolution anatomical image of your brain later, after your participation.
For more information, and to book your participation, please get in touch with Mr T Voits via email: toms.voits@pgr.reading.ac.uk