Guest Editors:
Gianluca Esposito, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Paola Rigo, University of Padova, Italy
Marc H. Bornstein, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
New brain Imaging techniques have been developed in neuroscience to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying human development. Some methodologies measure the electrical activity of different brain regions (Electroencephalography – EEG) or the magnetic fields produced by electrical currents occurring in the brain (Magnetoenchephalography – MEG). Others measure the level of oxygenation of the blood in different brain areas using near infrared light (Near Infrared Spectroscopy - NIRS) or magnetic fields (Magnetic Resonance Imaging - MRI). These techniques were initially developed to study human adults and until recently have not been exploited to study infant development. However, adaptations of these techniques to the study of infants are challenging, and clear consensus about their uses debated.
For this Special Issue, the guest editors invite empirical studies (either longitudinal or cross-sectional) as well as review and perspective papers that employ or focus on the use of brain imaging techniques to study typical and atypical infant development. Studies should investigate how brain imaging techniques are used to investigate mechanisms that regulate social, emotional, and/or cognitive development in infancy. Other studies to be considered will explore linkages between parental caregiving or other infant experiences and neurophysiological development in infancy to identify their interdependence.
Evaluation criteria: Adherence to the topic, Scientific relevance, Theoretical and methodological novelty, Timeliness and impact. Please submit an abstract (300 words) via email to Gianluca Esposito (gianluca.esposito@unitn.it or gianluca.esposito@ntu.edu.sg). Full manuscripts will go through full peer review in accordance with the journal policies. Authors will be notified by November 30, 2018 when a decision has been made.
Deadline: October 15, 2018
Resources:
Full length article submission site
Guide for authors