What is fMRI?
Are there any risks involved?
Where are the studies located?
How long will the experiments take?
What times are the experiments?
Why should I participate?
What do I have to do in order to participate?
What
is fMRI?
fMRI stands for functional
magnetic resonance imaging. It is an imaging technique used to determining
which parts of the brain are activated by different types of physical sensation
or activity, such as sight, sound and/or the movement of a subject's fingers.
This "brain mapping" is achieved by setting up an advanced MRI
scanner in a special way so that the increased blood flow to the activated
areas of the brain shows up on Functional MRI scans. There are no injections or
invasive measure of any kind. The subject in a typical experiment will simply
lie inside the magnet and be shown some kind of stimuli. For instance, they
will see pictures on a screen, or hear sounds. While this is happening, pictures
are taken of the brain every few seconds. This allows the researchers to see
what is happening in the brain during different kinds of tasks.
Are
there any risks involved?
This type of imaging is non-invasive and poses
no known health risks. However, it is important to fill out all forms honestly
so that we can ensure your safety. Most members of the lab have been in the
scanner multiple times. The main complaints about the scanner are that it is
noisy and you are required to stay very still.
Where
are the studies located?
The Studies are located at SUNY Stony Brook’s
SCAN Center, located by the Life Sciences Building. Occasionally some studies are scanned at
Stony Brook Hospital.
How
long will the experiments take?
The time can vary depending on the experiment.
Generally you will spend about a 1/2 an hour to and an hour preparing for the
experiment (consent forms, explanations, and practice) and a 45 minutes to an 1 hour and 1/2 in the scanner.
What
times are the experiments?
Times for the experiments may vary.
If you are unavailable during the set times for the experiments, but
would still like to participate, please go ahead and fill out the screening
forms and email it to us with times that you can participate. We change the
available times periodically and it would be very helpful to us to know when
people are available.
Why
should I participate?
There is no direct benefit to participating. You will, however, be
helping researchers gain a further understanding of
complex processes that help us all know a little more about what is going on
inside the brain. You will be thanked for your participation with a stipend.
What
do I need to do in order to participate?
In order to participate you must fill out the basic safety forms
available here and email them to us. If you do not have Microsoft word, or are
otherwise unable to fill out the forms, you can call and we can fill out the
form over the phone. After that is finished we will be able to schedule you for
an experiment.
If you want more
information on either our research or fMRI studies please email us at LeungLab@stonybrook.edu