Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain in Social and Emotional Reasoning

Study Summary

This study will use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to identify brain regions involved in social and emotional reasoning. It will identify differences in brain activity during task performance between people who have a nervous system illness and those who do not. MRI is a diagnostic tool that uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to produce images of structural and chemical changes in the brain. Healthy normal volunteers between 21 and 55 years of age who are right-handed and are native English speakers may be eligible for this study. Candidates will be screened with a medical history, including psychiatric and neurological information. Participants will be asked to perform social and emotional reasoning tasks, such as sorting and judging rules and rule violations, while undergoing MRI scanning. Some tasks may simply involve viewing items on a screen. Others may involve solving complex problems and responding by pressing buttons. During the scan, the subject lies on a table in a narrow cylinder (the scanner) containing a magnetic field. The scan will last about 2 hours, with subjects asked to lie still for up to 10 minutes at a time.