MRI Scan Q&A
As part of your participation in the ESTRA Study, you will take part in an MRI scan which will take place during the study institute assessment.
Here are some frequently asked questions answered about the MRI scan, please feel free to email us or leave a comment in the section below if you have any questions regarding the MRI Scan!
What is an MRI Scan?
An MRI scanner is a large tube containing powerful magnets to create detailed images of the inside of the body. The magnets will make the atoms in your body align in specific patterns to send signals picked up by the scanner! These signals will provide information about locations inside your brain, combined to create detailed images of the human body. MRI scans can be used to examine almost any part of the body, including the brain and spinal cord, bones and joints, breasts, heart and blood vessels and internal organs e.g. liver, however, the ESTRA study focuses only on the brain. The results can then be used to help diagnose conditions, and plan and assess the effectiveness of treatments in the future.
If you would like to learn more about the science behind the MRI scan, please watch this short video!
NIBIBTV (2013) How does an MRI scan work?, YouTube. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CGzk-nV06g (Accessed: December 6, 2022).
How is my safety considered?
Your safety is our utmost priority, and it is the first thing that we will check for during the screening phone call before determining if you are eligible to take part. As the MRI scan is a giant magnet, it is important that there are no metals on or inside your person when entering the scanning room. This is important for your safety. To ensure that you are safe, we make sure to check three times to ensure you are safe: once through the screening call, next on the day of the institute assessment and finally with the radiographer.
The checks that will take place will often ask you to ensure that you are not wearing any of the following items:
Glasses (to be removed or replaced with contacts)
Jewellery
Silver-threaded underwear
Metal bra straps
Make-up containing metal (metallic and glittery eye shadows)
Tops with metal on
Metal zips on clothing
It is important for your safety that these items are not brought into the scanning room as they may interfere with the scanner and cause harm to you. For this reason, at White City (Invicro) scanning site it is required that the participants wear ‘scrubs’ when entering the MRI scan, but it is not essential at Denmark Hill (Kings College London) site though can be requested. A changing room will be provided. At both sites, a locker will be provided to put your belongings into if you feel you need to remove any prohibited items. If you have any questions about this, please feel free to email us or comment in the sections below!
What happens when I enter the MRI scan?
After your final safety checks have taken place, the radiographer will then escort you to the scanning room. They will help you to help settle in the scanner and provide you with the equipment you will need.
You will also be provided with earplugs and headphones to reduce the noise you’ll hear during the scan (which is very loud!). This will often sound like loud humming noises but don’t be alarmed, this is just caused by the waves to help create an image of your brain, so it is important to keep your head incredibly still!
Here is a useful online video to familiarise yourself with the noises of the MRI, please note that you will have both earplugs and headphones!
Froedtert (2020) MRI noises explained (Froedtert & MCW Center for Diagnostic Imaging), YouTube. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxOWLcSpX7E (Accessed: December 6, 2022).
Who is in the room with me?
Like the photo below, you will be in the scanning room where the radiographer will inform you about the process. They will then leave the room and be in the control room opposite which has a large window with lots of screens to monitor your progress, so don’t worry you won’t be left alone! The researchers will also be based in the control room.
The radiographer will talk to you over an intercom at the beginning of each scan. As you can see from the picture below, they will be in the control room opposite, where they can talk to you through the microphone and see your activity through the screen. You can speak to the researcher if you need to take a break at any point in between the scanning sections!
What do I have to do in my MRI scan?
Your scan will be approximately one hour long and involve a total of nine individual scans.
Six of these scans are structural tasks, which do not involve you doing anything, you just need to keep as still as you can!
The other three scans are functional MRI (fMRI) scans, which involve you completing three functional tasks that you will have an opportunity to practise earlier in the day with us to ensure you understand these. At the start of each task, you will be presented with the instructions and for these tasks, you will be provided with left and right triggers in the scanner that you will need to press so we can record your responses.
The three functional tasks are listed below:
How quickly can I leave the MRI scan?
In less than a minute!
If you feel that you need to leave the scanner at any point, you can let the radiographer through the intercom. You will also be provided with an emergency button inside the scanner that you can press. Our participant’s well-being and safety are what is most important to us! It is important to remember that you have the right to opt-out at any time, and that all tasks are to be taken part with your own free-will. Like the rest of your data in this study, this neuroimaging data will be completely confidential and anonymous.
Once you have completed your MRI scan, you will get changed back into your clothes and collect your belongings to continue with the rest of the day. To thank you for your participation once you have completed all parts of the study, we will send you an image of your brain!
Can you tell me a bit more information about the MRIs?
Structural MRI
Structural MRI is a non-invasive technique that examines the anatomy and pathology of the brain. It measures the volume and size of a given structure or the thickness of a cortical area (e.g. grey and white matter) as well as fat and water distribution (and other physiochemical differences). Thus, it can distinguish grey matter, white matter and cerebrospinal fluid and hence, provide structural properties of the brain. These scans can also be reconstructed in any plane. Structural MRI scans are particularly useful for detecting brain damage and abnormalities. The ESTRA study also uses a 3T scanner, that is, a stronger magnet to be able to create high image quality.
Functional MRI (fMRI)
fMRI is a non-invasive technique that examines brain activity, unlike structural scans. It does this by detecting any tiny chemical changes in blood flow i.e. blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) contrast technique. This increase in blood flow is caused by that brain region being in use. fMRI is extremely useful as it is the only scan that can show which areas of the brain are used for particular tasks and thus, may detect any brain abnormalities that cannot be found with other neuroimaging techniques. It may be used to examine the brain’s functional anatomy, evaluate the effects of stroke or other disease or to guide brain treatment.
How does the ESTRA study use the MRI data?
After completing your scan, the brain image will be formed and then further pseudonymised (twice) before being sent to our research analysts. The researchers will look over the pseudonymised data in collection with the other participants from your group and consider wider demographic information before making any conclusions. They will go through strict and thorough information processing techniques before anything will be published, however we have some knowledge that we can share with you.
Eating disorders (EDs) are widely accepted as brain-based disorders. Previous neuroimaging studies that have used MRI and fMRI scans have found structural and functional brain differences in ED participants compared to healthy controls and those recovered from an ED.
Here are some findings from Eating Disordered behaviours concluded from brain scans!
ESTRA found: High grey matter volumes in the right putamen/globus pallidus could predict development of binge-eating and lower volumes in the medial orbitofrontal, dorsomedial, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices could predict the development of purging and depressive symptoms (all papers linked below). Therefore, it seems that the advances in understanding and prevention of EDs we hope to make in the ESTRA study is likely to benefit from using neurobiological techniques like MRI and fMRI scans.
However, although research on EDs is beginning to accumulate, knowledge is still limited
More research is required on neural underpinnings between EDs and comorbid mental health issues and what mechanisms mediate the relationship between psychopathological risk factors and the development of these both. Therefore, we hope that this neuroimaging data gathered in the ESTRA study will contribute to research by helping us understand the biological mechanisms behind EDs, including changes in brain structure and function by identifying the similarities and differences between participants with EDs, healthy controls and those that have recovered from an ED. Also, because of the lack of research on individuals who have recovered from an ED, we hope this neuroimaging data can help us identify brain changes that happen during recovering to better understand the pathway of recovery to a healthy relationship with food. Overall, we hope this neuroimaging data can contribute with other data from the ESTRA study to understand EDs holistically and prove useful in helping inform future prevention and treatment strategies of EDs.
We hope this has answered all your questions and that you are looking forward to joining us on your institute assessment!
If you have any questions relating to the MRI, please comment below!
Please note that these messages will be sent to our study mailbox! If you wish for them to remain anonymous, simply leave your name and email out of the message and we will update the website with the answer.
FURTHER READING LINKS