Kids Needed For Stanford/Packard Study On Development Of Sense Of Humor

For Release: October 21, 2010

STANFORD, Calif. — Children are needed to watch funny films for a study of humor at Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford. The researchers are examining how the neural pathways that encode the sense of humor develop in children’s brains.

The scientists need brother-sister pairs aged 6 to 12 to volunteer to watch short, funny film clips while having their brains scanned with magnetic resonance imaging. To participate, siblings must be no more than two-and-one-half years apart in age and must not have implanted metal, such as orthodontic braces. Participants will have one home visit from the researchers and make two visits to the Stanford campus for behavioral testing and brain scanning. The children will receive monetary compensation and pictures of their brains. It is the first such study of how children's brains change as their sense of humor matures. As part of the project, the researchers are examining how gender and temperament affect the development of humor pathways in the brain.

Those who are interested in participating in the study can contact Michelle Neely at mnneely@stanford.edu or (650) 862-9127.

Authors

Erin Digitale
(650) 724-9175
digitale@stanford.edu

About Stanford Medicine Children's Health

Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, with Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford at its center, is the Bay Area’s largest health care system exclusively dedicated to children and expectant mothers. Our network of care includes more than 65 locations across Northern California and more than 85 locations in the U.S. Western region. Along with Stanford Health Care and the Stanford School of Medicine, we are part of Stanford Medicine, an ecosystem harnessing the potential of biomedicine through collaborative research, education, and clinical care to improve health outcomes around the world. We are a nonprofit organization committed to supporting the community through meaningful outreach programs and services and providing necessary medical care to families, regardless of their ability to pay. Discover more at stanfordchildrens.org.

About Stanford University School of Medicine

The Stanford University School of Medicine consistently ranks among the nation’s top medical schools, integrating research, medical education, patient care and community service. For more news about the school, please visit med.stanford.edu/school. The medical school is part of Stanford Medicine, which includes Stanford Health Care and Stanford Medicine Children’s Health. For information about all three, please visit med.stanford.edu.