MRI: What to Expect
This page provides a detailed, step-by-step description, with photos, about what to expect during an MRI scan as part of one of our studies. Your Visit Coordinator will be happy to schedule time for you to visit the facility prior to the day of your scan and/or to try out our MRI simulator. You can always ask to stop a scan at any time, for any reason.
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MRI stands for Magnetic Resonance Imaging. We use a strong magnetic field to take images of the brain. We are able to do this because the different types of tissues in your body (like fluids, bone, or different types of brain cells) actually have very slightly different responses to a magnet. When the magnetic field is strong enough, we can measure these tiny differences and use them to make images that look like photographs of your brain.
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MRI is one of the safest ways to take images of the inside of your body, because unlike X-rays or CAT scans, no ionizing radiation is involved. However, because we are using a very strong magnet to take images, we have to make very sure that no one brings anything magnetic into the same room as the MRI machine, or has anything magnetic inside their body (for example, a pacemaker).
Because many clothes have now begun to be produced with tiny, invisible metallic fibers in them (especially athleisure wear), everyone who gets into the scanner has to change into scrubs. The clothes wouldn’t be pulled around by the magnetic field, but they could heat up and give you a burn if you kept them on. We ask everyone to remove all jewelry for the same reason.
Our top priority is your safety and comfort. All of the screening we do before your scan is in service of that goal. Please feel free to ask as many questions as you like before, during, and after your visit. We are always happy to share information about MRI!
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Different people have very different experiences of MRI depending on their sensory profile and comfort with small spaces. Some people find the experience cozy or exciting. Other people dislike it because of the loud sounds and a sense of claustrophobia. Finally, some people don’t have strong feelings about being inside the magnet, either good or bad.
Some things that might be comfortable in the magnet are cushions, foam props, blankets, and wearing loose, nonconstricting scrubs. Some people like being able to lie down and listen to repetitive sounds.
Some things that might be uncomfortable in the magnet are needing to lie still, having your head inside a “head coil” that fits closely to your head, wearing ear plugs, loud sounds from the scanner, or wearing clothes that are not your own.
When you slide into the magnet, you may feel a temporary (30 seconds - 1 minute) sensation of vertigo because the magnetic field will shift the fluid in your inner ear. This is uncomfortable but will go away shortly.
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We have an intercom inside the MRI machine that lets us talk to you and you talk to us. When we are collecting an image of your brain, the scanner makes loud noises that make it hard for us to talk. Because of this, we give everyone an emergency squeeze-ball to hold. If you squeeze it, it starts an alarm in the MRI control room and lets us know to stop everything and get you out.
Even if you’ve practiced scanning in our MRI simulator, you might find that the experience of being in the actual scanner is more stressful than you thought it would be for you. That’s okay! It’s normal for us that some participants decide to stop, and no one will be upset.
Step by Step: Getting an MRI Scan
Arriving and Getting Ready
Your MRI scan will take place in Peterson Family Health Sciences Hall.
If you drove, you can park in spaces #3-#10 in Finley Lot (left), directly across from Peterson Hall.
One of our team members will meet you at your car if you drove. We will walk you to the entrance we use for the MRI facility. The MRI technologist will meet us at the entrance and take your temperature with a forehead thermometer to ensure that you are not running a fever. We will also check to see that your Mason COVID Health Check status is “green.”
We will enter the facility. A bathroom will be available immediately to your right as you enter, and just past that is the MRI suite.
Once inside the imaging center, you will pass through the waiting room.
Then you will enter the room where you will complete the MRI screening form.
The questions on the form may seem familiar, since you responded to similar questions when you completed the MRI screener online and during the Zoom follow-up interview. To make sure you are OK to go into the MRI machine, a member of our team will go through the screener with you.
Our MRI technologist Susan Tozzi, pictured to the left, will also go over the screener with you.
The MRI machine uses a strong magnetic field to take images of the brain, so we go through this screening process to make sure no metal is on or in your body.
After you have been screened twice, you will change into scrubs and non-slip socks. Steps away from the imaging room is a bathroom where you will change in privacy.
After you have changed into scrubs, you will place your street clothes in the waiting room. We will ask you to double-check that you have not placed anything in the pockets of the scrubs.
For some studies, we might ask you to do tasks or games in the scanner. So that you will know what to expect, you will practice these tasks beforehand on a laptop. During the practice and inside the MRI machine you will press buttons on a device that looks like a video game controller (left).
Before you go into the MRI room, there’s just one more step! Without touching you, the MRI tech will wave a “wand” over your hair and body. This wand is used to check for metal. It will make a loud, unpleasant sound if it detects any metal on your body (similar to the sound in this clip).
This is just a final safety check before you go into the room with the MRI machine.
Getting in the Scanner
The MRI tech will walk you into the room with the scanner. She will give you ear plugs that will protect your ears against some of the louder noise of the machine.
She will ask you to lie on your back on the MRI scanner bed. You will be allowed to remove your mask now. She will put what is called a head coil (similar to a helmet that will click into place over the top of your head) in place that allows us to take the images of your brain.
She will add a mirror to the head coil (left) that will let you view a screen. The tech will ask you if you can see the screen and move it up or down based on your feedback.
She will slide some cushioned pads on either side of your head to help you hold your head still, and place some other cushions along the insides of your arms (right).
She will very slowly raise the bed and then will very slowly move you backwards so that your head is where we need it to be in order to collect the images of your brain. You can see this sequence in the three pictures below.
Inside the Scanner
Some people may experience a slight feeling of dizziness as the bed moves into the tube of the scanner. This is because the magnetic field can influence the fluid in your ears that controls your sense of balance. This sensation of dizziness usually only lasts about 30 seconds to 1 minute upon entering or exiting the tube, as the fluid in your inner ears shifts and then settles. If you continue to feel dizzy after about a minute, please let us know.
Once you are inside the machine we will be able to communicate with you before and after each scan through the audio and speaker system. The MRI tech will give you a “squeeze ball” in case you need to get our attention urgently during a scan. Squeezing it will activate an alarm in the control room and we will stop the scan and check in with you. The squeeze ball will rest beside you.
Everyone responds to the scanner differently. Some people like being inside the tube because it feels cozy and produces repetitive noise that they find soothing, like white noise. Other people do not particularly like or dislike being in the tube. Still other people discover that they dislike being inside the tube because it feels confining or they do not like the noises the machine makes. If you find you really dislike being in the machine, that's okay. Just let us know, and you can get out any time.
During your time in the MRI machine, you will lie very still and complete a series of scans. Before and during your time in the scanner we will tell you what scans you will do, what to expect, and how long they will last.
After the Scan
When you are done, the MRI tech will come and very slowly move the bed out of the machine and then very slowly lower the bed. You will sit up on the bed, put on your mask, and exit the room. Then you will change into your street clothes. You will have completed your JackLab study visit! We will provide you with your payment. We can walk you back to your car after the scan is over if you would like assistance navigating.