Guidelines for conducting a pre-post intervention study with preschool children using fMRI: The rationale behind the methodological choices of a research project on reading acquisition

Blanchette Sarrasin, J., Brault Foisy, L.-M., Auclair, A., Riopel, M., & Masson, S. (2020). Guidelines for conducting a pre-post intervention study with preschool children using fMRI: The rationale behind the methodological choices of a research project on reading acquisition. Neuroeducation, 6(1), 24-36. doi:10.24046/neuroed.20200601.24

ABSTRACT: In an effort to build bridges between the fields of neuroscience and education, several research projects using neuroimaging focus on the early childhood period. This period of life is indeed crucial for child development, as early educational experiences can have a significant influence on subsequent learning. However, conducting neuroimaging projects with young children presents several challenges, both for participants and researchers. For instance, fMRI technology requires that participants move as little as possible during data acquisition, which can be a real challenge for a young child. Building on previous papers that make recommendations to facilitate the conduct of fMRI research involving young children, the present article proposes to discuss the rationale behind the methodological choices of a particular case: the case of an fMRI intervention study conducted with preschool children. An fMRI intervention study with young children is indeed particularly challenging, especially when it includes two fMRI sessions, pre- and post-intervention. Since no previous articles have focused on the specific challenges encountered in this specific type of study, this article aims to discuss the main questions that may arise regarding different key moments of this type of research project: recruitment of participants, preparation for fMRI sessions, fMRI data acquisition and data analysis.