Getting Started

Overview

Combine the spatial resolution of MRI with the temporal resolution of in-scanner EEG. Take your eye-tracking study to the next level with in-scanner eye tracking. Precisely target the TMS pulse on individual subjects using a high-resolution MRI scan.

The 3200 ft² BIRC offers investigators the convenience of on-site multiple behavioral testing rooms, a sound-attenuated testing chamber, and a Mac-based data processing lab for you to analyze your data using standard software (AFNI, FSL, FreeSurfer, SPM, MATLAB, R).

This page provides an overview of the steps involved in beginning your MRI, EEG, or TMS study at BIRC and some of the resources available to support your research. Please feel free to contact us at any stage. We are happy to meet to discuss the direction of your grant proposal or design of your study.

Training and Safety

At the UConn Brain Imaging Research Center, safety is our top priority. To ensure the safety of all researchers and participants, BIRC adheres to a specific safety and training policy that requires all researchers intending to use BIRC resources complete basic safety training to understand the risks and protocols related to an MRI environment. General MRI safety training and hands-on equipment training is required prior to using any equipment at BIRC. The level 1 safety training module (campus or VPN required) is comprised of viewing educational videos and taking an online quiz, and takes approximately 30 minutes. Once you complete the test with a score of seven or higher please contact Elisa Medeiros to be given card access to the public area (Zone 1) at BIRC. For equipment-specific training requirements, please visit the respective technical guide page to find out more.

Access to BIRC is controlled by proximity card. You will need a Husky One Card with a 5-digit number printed on the upper right of the card back. If your card does not have such a number, contact the One Card office to get a free upgrade to a proximity card.

Budgeting and Funding

BIRC provides seed grants to support pilot data collection. This award is expected to lead to extramural funding.

Fees for the use of MRI, TMS, and EEG equipment at BIRC are detailed in the rate table. When developing your budget, make sure you base your calculations on the rates announced for your anticipated funding period. Investigators should contact the Director for advice on their proposed budget prior to submitting a grant proposal. The following points should be kept in mind when developing your budget:

  • When estimating the time needed for each session, include setup and cleanup time in addition to the expected length of your experimental procedures.
  • EEG sessions generally require at least 30 minutes of prep time and 15 minutes cleanup.
  • MRI sessions require at least 10 minutes total for setup and cleanup. Additional time may be needed for physiological monitoring or pediatric or clinical populations. Each scan in your session may require 30-90 secs to setup, with additional time needed for MRS setup. For example, a typical 1-hour MRI session will provide only 45-50 minutes of usable 'table' time for actual scanning.
  • Round your time estimate up to the nearest 30-minute billing increment (e.g. a 75-minute MRI session must be budgeted for 90 minutes of scan time)

A template Facilities and Resources page is available. If you will be submitting a grant that uses BIRC resources, please contact us.

Approval

IRB Approval

All studies must have current UConn IRB approval. For investigators submitting applications to the UConn IRB, IRB-approved IRB-1 and consent form template language is available and covers the use of MRI, EEG, eye-tracking and/or tDCS at BIRC. Investigators are strongly encouraged to use the appropriate template language whenever possible to facilitate IRB review. IRB submissions should also include the standard MRI screening form, tDCS screening form, and/or TMS screening form. All IRB and screening materials can be downloaded here (note: you will have to request access if you are not using a uconn.edu email address).

BIRC Approval

New studies are reviewed by the Director for feasibility and compliance prior to implementation, as well as to keep track of projected usage at BIRC. To begin the approval process, please complete the study request form. This form will collect some detailed information about your study design, timeline, staffing, and equipment needs. If you are conducting an MRI study, you will be asked for your preferred scan parameters. Some common, tested options are available, or you can paste in your own. If you are unsure of your scan parameters or are new to MRI, please schedule a meeting with the Director to discuss your needs.

When your study is reviewed and approved, you will be given access to scheduling and data management systems, scan protocols will be setup for MRI studies, and you will receive an approval email with important information. Among other things, your project will be assigned a BIRC billing code, which will be used for scheduling, data collection, and later data retrieval. Sadly, you cannot buy anything with this code; it is entirely used for internal bookkeeping, billing, and IRB compliance with data access. Please contact the Director if you have questions about this process.

Scheduling BIRC Resources

Key Points

Reservations are made (and billed) in 30-minute increments.

Your reservation period must include any needed setup and cleanup time.

  • EEG sessions generally require at least 30 minutes of prep time and 15 minutes cleanup.
  • MRI sessions require at least 10 minutes total for setup and cleanup. Additional time may be needed for physiological monitoring or pediatric or clinical populations. Each scan in your session may require 30-90 secs to setup, with additional time needed for MRS setup. For example, a typical 1-hour MRI session will provide only 45-50 minutes of usable 'table' time for actual scanning.
  • MRI reservations cancelled within 24 hours prior to the scan time are subject to a 100% charge. However, we encourage all unfilled scans to be cancelled 2 weeks prior to the scan time.

    The use of some equipment requires reserving multiple resources (e.g. both the EEG system and EEG/Sound Room) or adding an accessory (e.g. out-of-scanner button box), described below:

    • Testing rooms A and B—For behavioral experiments, assessment, or interviews
    • Conference room—For small meetings (up to 8 people), with display and videoconference ability.
    • EEG/Sound Room—A sound attenuated room housing a high-quality recording setup and EEG system. This can be booked alone for behavioral experiments or recording sessions.
    • EEG NetAmps 400 GTEN (30-120 minutes)—The out of scanner EEG system. You must also reserve the EEG/Sound Room resource. This EEG system cannot be moved to another room. The 2x2 non-MR button box can be added as an accessory.
    • MR-Conditional EEG System (30-120 minutes)—The in-scanner EEG system. This should generally be booked concurrently with an MRI session, but the system may also be moved to other locations when required. Please contact the Director to discuss plans for using the system outside of the MRI.
    • TMS/Photogrammetry Room—This room houses the EGI photogrammetry dome, Biopac recording system, and TMS system. If you are using the photogrammetry system, please reserve the room only for the time you expect to be using the dome during your EEG session.
    • TMS System (30-120 minutes)—The MagPro X100 system. You must reserve the TMS/Photogrammetry Room for at least the time you will be administering TMS. If you do not reserve the room, others may enter, e.g. for photogrammetry. Use of the Biopac and Localite systems is included. The 2x2 non-MR button box can be added as an accessory.
    • MRI (30 minute minimum)—The Siemens 3T Prisma and all peripherals (except MR-EEG). MRI reservations will be confirmed by a technologist.
    • Mock Scanner—The mock scanner/MRI simulator. The 2x2 non-MR button box must be added as an accessory if needed.
    • MR Stimulus PC—During some hours that are not available for MRI, you may book this resource to come in and test your scripts. You do not need to book this during normal MRI reservations.

    If you cannot access a particular resource that you wish to schedule, please contact us.

    Required Details

    For all reservations, provide the following information:

    • Billing Code: The three digit number provided when your study is approved. The conference room may be booked using the code 000, if it is not being used for a specific study. All other reservations should be associated with a study/billing code. Do not enter additional information in this field.

    For billable reservations (EEG, TMS, MRI), provide the following information:

    • KFS #: The account to be billed for your reservation.
    • Development scan: Check this box if this reservation is part of your permitted protocol development time.

    For MRI reservations, please provide the name of your study (acronym acceptable) under Title of Reservation.

    Please do not enter anything in the internal use box.

    Scheduling Development Time

    Each project can reserve up to two development sessions to ensure that your experiment works as expected on the equipment at BIRC. Prior to using your development time, please make sure that:

    • You have tested your stimulus presentation outside of BIRC and verified that the presentation and response collection work as expected. MRI triggers and button boxes can be emulated by keyboard presses, as described on the equipment page. After you have tested your scripts in your lab, you can verify that they work on the computers in the MR console room. You can come in and test scripts during open periods in the MRI schedule, or book the MR Stimulus PC resource.
    • For MRI studies, you have worked out how long each run of your task is.
    • You have drafted a protocol for operating your experiment.
    • You have identified a patient participant, such as a member of your lab group, ideally one who provide feedback on the experiment.

    To schedule your development time, create your reservation online (campus or VPN required) and check the Development scan box.

    Scheduling Data Collection

    Please see our rates and policies page for additional information about scheduling the use of BIRC equipment.

    Archiving and Accessing Data

    BIRC provides automatic storage and backup of original MRI data only. Researchers must copy any behavioral or eye-tracking data files to a USB drive after their session. BIRC does not provide storage for processed data. Once your MRI data is collected, it will be automatically sent to NiDB (campus or VPN required). You will be asked to login with your NetID and Password. If you select the Projects link from the top of the screen, you should be able to find your project listed. If you do not have access to that project, please make sure that you are listed on the corresponding IRB application and email the Director to gain access to the project.

    For downloading data, it is often preferred to click on the "Search" button at the top of the page. Choose your project under the "Enrollment" option. Select the series that you wish to download from the list, and then set options as follows:

    Option Recommended Selection
    Download Type Web
    Data Imaging, Behavioral
    Format DICOM - No anonymization necessary
    Directory Format Primary Alternate Subject ID
    Series Directories Preserve Series Number