U of M Needs Young Volunteers for Study on Hearing in Children
For release: September 1, 2004
For press information, contact Gabrielle Maxey

The University of Memphis needs volunteers 5 to 15 years of age to help scientists learn how the brain organizes sound at different ages. Researchers especially need 14-year-olds to complete the study, which runs through December.

Participants should have normal hearing and language development. They will be compensated for their time.

The Memphis Speech and Hearing Center is studying the areas of the brain that are activated by sound and the sequence in which they are activated. The goal of the research is to develop tests that will identify - and possibly treat - children with learning disabilities and problems in sound-processing.

Participants will attend two sessions, usually scheduled in the evening to avoid interfering with school. The study involves wearing a cap covered with electrodes. With the use of amplifiers and desktop computers, the electrodes measure brain wave activity 200 times per second. The result is a map of what brain activity that is triggered by sound looks like in children with normal hearing.

The Memphis Speech and Hearing Center is located at 807 Jefferson in the Medical Center area. For more information about volunteering, call 678-5832.

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