The Research MRI Unit leverages the latest design principles and technology to meet the unique needs and preferences of individuals of all abilities undergoing a research MRI scan.
The MRI unit is the first in Canada that is immersive, customizable, child-friendly and fully accessible:
- Immersive: The technology that is integrated in the MRI scanner room - through state-of-the-art lighting and projections on the walls, ceiling and MRI scanner itself - will create unique environments that appeal to different senses (i.e.: create feeling of being in an ocean or outer space).
- Customizable: Each person can customize the MRI unit to their own personal tastes and needs. They can choose different images or videos that are projected on the walls, ceiling and on the scanner. They can also change the colour of lights that illuminate the back wall with a colour-coded keypad from the doorway. If the study permits, research participants can also watch movies through MRI-friendly goggles or a mirror while getting scanned. Earplugs and MRI-compatible headphones are provided to minimize the noise from the scanner.
- Child and sensory friendly: The entire suite has been tailored to create the most relaxing, calm environment before, during and after their MRI scan. A whimsical, interactive mobile, designed by local artist Dennis Lin and children from Holland Bloorview, hangs from the ceiling in the waiting area. The door to the MRI scanner room is made of glass so that parents and caregivers can see their children during the entire procedure.
- Fully accessible: The assessment rooms, waiting area, change room and washroom are designed to be fully accessible - including lifts, change tables and MRI-compatible wheelchairs - to meet the needs of people of all abilities. For instance, the MRI table can be wheeled out of the scanner room into the change room where a person can be positioned on the table to maintain their privacy and dignity.
The Siemens Prisma 3T MRI scanner is designed specifically to meet the challenges of research scanning. It offers a gradient strength of 80 mT/m and slew rate of 200 T/m/s making it the fastest scanner available and ideal for EPI imaging (BOLD and Diffusion Weighted Imaging). We are equipped with a 32 channel head coil, as well as 20 and 64 channel head/neck coils, with pre-amplifiers to allow parallel imaging and image acceleration. Distortion and image blurring are reduced in EPI sequences with less sacrifice to SNR with this system. Additional coils our scanner is equipped with include a 32 Direct Connect spine coil, two 8 channel body coils, a 4 channel large flex coil, and a 4 channel small flex coil. Our complement of coils can facilitate imaging in neurology, abdominal, pelvic, and certain musculoskeletal regions.
Top of the line applications in our scanner also include SWI, fMRI/DTI, ASL, SMS, Inline Composing, Spectroscopy, Flow Quantification and FREEZEit.
Available coils:
- Head
- Head / Neck
- Spine
- Body
- Flex
Video equipment
For visual stimulus presentation to participants in the MRI scanner during scans, our scan room is equipped with a ProPixx projector from VPixx. This advanced, research-grade projector is capable of presenting stimulus with accurate timing, high bit-depth, and fast refresh rates.
Participant Response System
To acquire participant response during fMRI studies, we are equipped with a Current Design Package 904 system fully compatible with MRI and a two-button keypad (HHSC-1x2-BY) to record key press information on the computer.
Waiting Room
The waiting room is designed to create an inviting and calm environment for participants and families entering the Research MRI unit.Child participants can choose to dim, brighten, or change the colour of the lights in art display. A fan can be activated in the art display to make a whimsical, interactive mobile move around.. The mobile, made of various materials such as metal, wire and wood was co-designed by local artist Dennis Lin and children from Holland Bloorview.
Assessment Rooms
Two fully accessible assessment rooms are equipped with tools to evaluate cardio-metabolic health participants. These data can help researchers understand if certain long-term situations can put participants and/or their caregivers at risk for developing cardio-metabolic disorders (i.e. high blood pressure or diabetes), as well as look at prevention measures.
Change Room/ Washroom
The change rooms and washrooms are fully accessible and are equipped with a ceiling-mounted lift system to accommodate participants who need mobility assistance.
Control Room
The control room has a large window facing the scanner room, allowing the technologist to monitor continually the participant during their procedure. A video camera fitted on the other side of the scanner room also provides visual monitoring of the individual inside the MRI scanner. The door leading into the MRI scanner room is also made of glass so parents and family members can sit in front of the door and see their loved one. It can be changed from clear to opaque as well so the participant can be provided with some privacy if they wish.
MRI Scanner Room
The accessible scanner room has been uniquely designed to be a fully immersive and child-friendly environment for a participant undergoing a scan. Multiple projectors mounted in the room’s ceiling enables them to customize themes (nature, space, ocean for example), on the scanner itself, on the adjacent wall and from a large, oval-shaped ceiling “skylight”. Participants can also change the ceiling back lights to a different colour to match their chosen projections.
If the research study permits, a participant can even watch a movie with MRI-friendly goggles or a mirror during the scan and wear MRI-compatible headphones to reduce the noise that often comes with the procedure.
Finapress Nova
Beat-by-beat cardiovascular monitor of continuous finger blood flow to measure blood pressure, heart rate, stroke volume, cardiac output, and total peripheral resistance.
Impedimed SFB7
Device to estimate body fat and muscle mass using bioelectric impedance.
