Examintation process

Briefly:

• Arrival of the participant to our laboratory.
• Acquainting with the project, explanation of everything that can be expected, filling in the safety form and informed consent on participation in the project.
• Preparation of the participant for the measurement – changing into assigned shirt, removing of all metal objects (jewellery, watches, cellphone,…)
• Measurement itself – approximately 45-60 minutes
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​The following text describes in detail the course of the MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) examination, but there are many other types of measurements in the MAFIL laboratory, including EEG (electroencephalography), ExG (general electrophysiological measurements), eyetracking (eye movement monitoring), etc. At the end of this page there is a video showing the visit to our laboratory from a volunteer's point of view.

Examination process

After arrival to the laboratory, every participant is requested to fill in a form with basic personal data and questions verifying the presence of metal objects in their body. Afterwards the examination process and, above all, eventual functional tasks, are explained. During such tasks, the volunteer for example performs a movement with a particular body part, watches or listens to visual or audio stimuli, makes up words, sentences etc. Apart from the experimental task measurement, a measurement of structural anatomical images is performed as well. These are used for more accurate localization of active parts and clearer graphic result presentation.

After acquainting with the process, the examined person changes into underwear and assigned shirt in a cabin, leaving there their personal belongings and decorations (such as earrings, necklaces, watches etc.).

The measurement itself takes approximately 45 to 60 minutes depending on the experiment length. Apart from that, it is necessary to take into account the preparation time (changing, task explanation, filling in the form) which can take approximately 15 minutes and also have some time in hand in case of any delay.

As an acknowledgement for participation in the measurement, the examined volunteer receives a CD with detailed anatomy images of the measured area.

​Relative health limitations for MR measurement

Since this is an examination in a strong magnetic field, it is necessary to remove all metal objects before entering the examination room. If there are any permanent metal implants present in the body, it is necessary to inform the researcher in advance.

• Pacemaker, defibrillator – with these devices it is not possible to participate in the examination.
• Cochlear implant, insulin pump – if no certification on MR compatibility is presented, it is not possible to participate in the examination.
• Surgery – it is suitable to participate in the examination minimum 6 weeks after any surgery in order to let the affected tissue heal and regenerate.
• Artificial joints – nowadays MR compatible joint replacements are usually implanted and they allow the examination without any problem.
• Dental implants and amalgams – there is no contraindication, it is possible to perform the examination without any restriction.
• Removable dental prosthesis – it is better to remove the dental prosthesis from mouth before the examination in order to prevent any creation of eventual artifacts in the image.
• Fixed dental braces – unfortunately, braces create a big artifact in the image, therefore we usually do not perform measurement of head area (regarding the measurement of other body parts, braces are not a problem). Retainers cause only a small artifact that does not impede head measurement.

• Glasses – in need of vision correction, glasses in the scale of 2-5 dpt for short-sightedness or reading glasses are available. The volunteers’ own glasses generally include metal parts and it is not possible to use them during the measurement. Some contact lenses might cause complications, therefore, we request bringing your own lenses case (if the the operator concludes that it is necessary to remove the lenses).

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 Video showing the visit to the MAFIL laboratory from the perspective of a volunteer