How young children's brains learn letters and numbers
CRCNS: Dense longitudinal neuroimaging to evaluate learning in childhood
['FUNDING_R01'] · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY · NIH-11176721
This project follows young children with repeated brain scans and learning tests to understand how they come to recognize letters and digits in early school years.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_R01'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (Nashville, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11176721 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
We will invite children around preschool and first grade to come to Vanderbilt for repeated brain MRI scans and short learning tasks across the school year. Families will also help by allowing us to measure reading and number skills while we track brain changes over time. The team will create a large, labeled image set from Sesame Street episodes to model the visual input children receive and link that input to brain and learning changes. Results will help researchers and educators know when and how letter and number processing develops.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are preschoolers and first-graders (roughly ages 5–7) and their families who can attend multiple MRI and testing visits in Nashville, TN.
Not a fit: Adults, older children, or any child who cannot undergo MRI (for example due to medical implants or severe claustrophobia) are unlikely to benefit or be able to participate.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to the times and brain changes when reading and math skills first emerge, helping to target earlier supports for children at risk of falling behind.
How similar studies have performed: Some prior longitudinal studies have linked brain development to reading, but very frequent scans in early first grade and the use of a Sesame Street–based image corpus are new approaches.
Where this research is happening
Nashville, UNITED STATES
- VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY — Nashville, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: VINCI-BOOHER, SOPHIA — VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
- Study coordinator: VINCI-BOOHER, SOPHIA
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.