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Child Siblings Sought For Humorous Research At Stanford

STANFORD (BCN) - The Stanford University School of Medicine and the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital in Palo Alto are seeking children to volunteer for a study about how the brain changes as a sense of humor develops, the organizations said in a joint statement.

KCBS' Rebecca Corral Reports:

Researchers are seeking brother-sister sibling pairs that are no more than two and a half years apart in age and between the ages of 6 and 12, the statement said. Both children must be free of any implanted metal, such as orthodontic braces, the statement said.

The children will be asked to watch short, funny film clips while their brains are scanned by magnetic resonance imaging, the statement said.

The school and hospital say this innovative research is aimed at showing researchers how the neural pathways that encode one's sense of humor are formed.

The affects of gender and temperament on the development of the pathways will also be examined, the statement said.

Participants will make two trips to the Stanford campus for behavioral testing and brain scanning, the statement said, as well as having one visit at their homes with researchers.

In compensation, the children will receive some money and pictures of their brains, the statement said.

Interested parties should contact Michelle Neely at mneely@stanford.edu or (650) 862-9127.

(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)

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