0151 7942173
Dr Sophie Wuerger
Psychology
INFORMATION FOR VOLUNTEERS
A behavioural and fMRI
study of auditory-visual integration mechanisms
You are being invited to take part in a research study. Before you decide whether to take part, it is important to understand why the research is being done and what it will involve. Please take time to read the following information carefully and discuss it with others if you wish. Ask us if there is anything that is not clear or if you would like more information. Take your time to decide whether or not you wish to take part.
What is the purpose of the study?
We perceive our
environment by combining information from all sensory systems, such as vision
and hearing. Previous experiments suggest that this information is integrated
differently depending on what the signals are. The aim of this study is to
better understand the mechanisms that are involved in this audio-visual
integration. This knowledge is essential for building technical applications
that produce or encode audio-visual stimuli. Understanding integration systems
also is important in clinical settings ranging from diagnostics (e.g. there is
evidence for specific auditory-visual integration deficit in some schizophrenic
patients) and prosthetics (cochlear implants). To investigate the neural
correlates of multisensorial integration, we will use behavioural as well functional
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI).
Why have I been chosen?
We want to study healthy volunteers in the age range between 18 and 55. You should have normal hearing and normal or corrected to normal (contact lenses) vision because we ask you to identify visual and auditory stimuli.
What would I have to do?
In the first part of the study you will be asked to perform perceptual judgments in response to auditory and visual stimuli. The noise levels you will be exposed to will be similar to the levels experienced in an MRI scanner (part 2 of the study). In the second part, we ask you to make identical perceptual judgements while we are recording brain responses (fMRI). The behavioural part will last no longer than 2.5 hours (two different sessions) and you will spend no longer than 1 hour inside the MRI scanner.
Prior to the scanning procedure, you will be asked to change into a gown in the changing rooms provided. There will be lockers available for your personal belongings which can be locked during the period of the study. We have some funds available to pay subjects a small fee for their inconvenience. You will receive a total of £15 per scan for your participation.
The MRI Scan is very noisy but
otherwise it causes no known harm or long-term effects. High quality disposable
earplugs will be provided to protect against the possibility of hearing loss. Some people may experience slight feelings of
claustrophobia in the scanner. If you do feel uncomfortable you will be able to
notify us immediately and we will remove you from that scanner without delay. We also
simulate the noises the MRI scanner makes during the initial behavioural
experiments. The signals are calibrated to 85 db(A) ensure
that your daily noise exposure is below the Health and Safety Executive’s lower
daily exposure limit (LEP,d=76 dB). A noise level of 85 db(A) corresponds to the the noise level you experience in city traffic from inside a car.
If you are planning any other activities during the day that will expose you to
high noise levels you should discuss this with us.
You have been invited to participate in this research because you have
no known
brain problems. However, it is possible that an incidental abnormality
could be
picked up on the scan. The investigators are not trained in radiological
diagnosis and these scans are not designed to find abnormalities, so neither
the investigators nor the
to find abnormalities in your scan. On occasion, though, the investigator
may
notice something on a MRI scan that seems abnormal. If so, the following
procedure will be applied:
- MARIARC Radiographer is
informed of any incidental findings by investigators undertaking scan.
- A hard-copy (film) is
made of the scan.
- A Consultant
Neuro-radiologist at the Walton Centre for Neurology and
Neurosurgery (WCNN) will be informed and asked to report the scan.
- If any abnormality is
(provisionally) confirmed, both the Consultant
Neuro-radiologist and MARIARC nurse will speak in person with you.
- With your consent, a
letter and report outlining the abnormal findings will
be sent to your General Practitioner.
The decision as to whether to proceed with further examinations or treatment
lies solely with you and your General Practitioner. The investigator, the
Consultant Neuro-radiologist and the
responsible for any examination or treatment that you undertake based upon
these findings. Because the images collected in this study are not a
proper
clinical MRI series, they will not be made available for diagnostic purposes.
Can I Refuse?
You are free to refuse to take part at any time, or to stop at any time, even during tests if these start to worry or tire you.
Will information about me kept confidential?
All the information that is
collected about you during the course of the research will be kept strictly
confidential. If you agree to participate in this study, you have no objection
to personal data relating to yourself (as defined by the Data Protection Act,
1998), being used for research purposes. Your personal information will be kept
for up to fifteen years, and then will be confidentially destroyed. All
information will be stored in secured filing cabinets in a locked room and
electronic data will be stored on CD’s which will also be secured in a locked room. All data
stored on computers will only be password accessible and will be protected with
powerful antivirus software, in addition, data will be
labelled with a identity label instead of using personal names. This will
ensure that data will be anonymous. You have a legal right to view your
personal information stored with us. If you wish to view your personal information,
please write to Liverpool University Data Protection Officer, Computing Services Department,
What if something goes wrong?
Although very unlikely, if you are harmed by taking part in
this research project, there are no special compensation arrangements. If you
are harmed due to someone’s negligence, then you may have grounds for a legal
action but you may have to pay for it. Regardless of this, if you wish to
complain, or have any concerns about any aspect of the way you have been
approached or treated during the course of this study, the normal
Who do I contact?
If you wish to take part in this study or if you require more information, please contact Dr. Sophie Wuerger, School of Psychology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7AZ, tel: 0151 794 2173, email: sophiew@liv.ac.uk
Thank you.