Study Title: Examining the effect of music on sensory gating during skilled motor performance
We are looking for young healthy participants between the ages of 18-35 to understand how listening to various sounds or music affects how incoming sensory information is processed by the brain during skilled motor performance.
Individuals willing to participate in this study will be asked to attend one session lasting between two to three hours.
During this time, you will be seated in a chair and hold a handle in each hand. We will place an electroencephalography (EEG) cap with electrodes on your head, overtop of your hair, to measure the brain’s electrical activity. While wearing the cap we will move one handle and ask you to match the movements by moving the other handle. While you are doing the task we will deliver occasional, brief, electrical stimuli to the skin on the inside of one of your wrists to help us understand how the brain is using sensory information from the hand.
Finally, to help us understand how music influences how the brain uses sensory information during skilled motor performance we will as you to listen to different forms of white noise or music while you are doing the limb-position matching task. In appreciation for your time you will receive $10/hour.
To arrange participation or to learn more about this study please contact Jessica Vander Vaart (jevander@uwaterloo.ca).
You should not participate in this study if any of the following are true. If you are uncertain about you suitability to participate please contact the study team.
1. You are younger than 18 years old.
2. You are older than 35 years old.
3. You have been diagnosed with a concussion by a medical professional within the past three months, or you are currently being treated for post-concussion syndrome by a medical professional.
4. You have a history of neurological injury or diagnosis (other than concussion). Common examples include stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease...
5. You have a hearing impairment or the use of hearing aids (Hearing aids will prevent the use of earbuds to listen to auditory stimuli during the study).
6. You have a medically implanted device (e.g. a pacemaker)