Become a volunteer participant!

Have you always wanted to know what your brain looks like from the inside? Are you interested in supporting our research into new, exciting magnetic resonance spectroscopy methods?

Look no further! We are always looking for volunteers to dedicate an hour of their time to become a participant in our MRI methodological development.

What do I have to do?

You can sign up to join our mailing list below, and we will reach out to you when we are looking to schedule appointments, typically between 1 and 3 weeks ahead of time.

Our experiments are performed at the F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging at Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore. They typically include about 60 minutes inside the MRI scanner. We ask that you arrive at least 20 minutes ahead of time so we can do all required safety interviews and obtain written informed consent from you.

After you are cleared to enter the MRI scanner room, you will lie down on your back on the scanner bed, and place your head inside a so-called head coil. You will receive appropriate ear protection, as some parts of the scan may include loud banging noises. You will also receive a blanket to stay warm (if you like), and you can choose to watch a movie with subtitles (it’s also fine if you prefer to take a nap!).

Once you are inside the scanner tube, you will be instructed to stay as still as possible for the entire duration of the measurement, i.e. avoid moving your body in general, and your head in particular.

Is it safe to participate?

There are no known side effects to participate in an MRI acquisition. You will not be exposed to ionizing radiation (unlike X-ray or CAT scans), and you will not receive contrast agent. You may be bothered by the noise and the feeling of being closed in, however.

You may not take part in any MRI study if you have any MRI contraindications, including (but not limited to) medical devices and metal parts: pacemakers, defibrillators, aneurysm clips, other implanted electronic or medical devices, shrapnel or other metal. If you have a history of metal in your eyes or head (for example from welding), you cannot participate in our studies.

We conduct strict, mandatory safety screening before you enter the scanner room to ensure that it is safe for you.

What am I getting out of it?

• A 3D structural image of your brain in the common NIfTI format. You can view these files with free software like MRICron. You can even prepare these images to make a 3D print of your brain!
• A compensation of $30 in cash for your expenses, effort, and time.
• A unique insight into our research and the operations of an MRI research center.

I’m in! How do I sign up?

Just register to our mailing list by filling in the form below. You have to be 18 years of age or older to be eligible to participate. Your data will only be used for the purposes of contacting you when we have scan appointments available. Your data will never be shared with any third party, and will be stored securely in our systems. You can opt out by simply re-submitting the form with the word “UNSUBSCRIBE” in the message field, and we will delete your data from our files immediately.

We are looking forward to hearing from you!

This advertisement is approved by the Johns Hopkins Institutional Review Board (click to open PDF).