MR Simulator

General

The CNI has a Psychology Software Tools MR simulator available for pre-scan training. The MR simulator can be used to familiarize subjects with the scanning environment, and it is especially useful for subjects that need training in order to prevent excessive movement during scanning, such as children.

Location & Scheduling

The mock scanner is located in room 062 of the CNI suite in the basement of Jordan Hall. Use the CNI Scheduler to reserve time on it, just as you do for the MR scanner and testing room.

Features

The MRI Simulator includes:

• ~60cm circular bore with cooling fans and lights.
• Speakers for scanner noise production.
• Movable subject table that can be operated from the control panel on the bore or by using the participant remote control.

Accessories:

• Mock head coil with rear facing mirror
• 30 inch flat panel LCD display, similar to the scanner display
• Flock of Birds device for tracking head motion.
• Right and left hand button boxes with five buttons per hand.

Software:

• SimEffects software to simulate ambient and active scanner sounds.
• MoTrak tracking system that provides linear feedback of X,Y,Z movement and rotational feedback on X,Y,Z axis (Pitch, Roll, Yaw coordinate) based on user-defined thresholds.
• E-Prime 2.0 experiment development and presentation software.

Procedure

1. Make sure that the simulator and Flock of Birds device are both on. (Flock of Birds should be set to "Fly").
2. Set up the bed with a clean sheet and pillow case from the cabinets.
3. Place the head band with motion sensor on the subject along with the headphones (not yet connected to the computer).
   • Make sure that the subject is comfortable, and send them into the bore of the simulator. You can also give them the remote control, which will give them control over moving the bed.
   • Connect the headphone jack to the green plug on the small computer box.
4. Open MoTrak. Once the subject is ready to stay still, reset their head position so that the crosshairs are in the center of the green circle. Begin the trial.
   • File:ImageAnalysis 1.jpg
5. Start the practice trial or movie.

Playing Movies on MoTrak

MoTrak will play any movie file that can be opened with Windows Media Player. Windows Media Player sometimes needs additional codecs to be installed in order to play certain movie extensions (such as .avi).

In order to play a movie, you should first go "Tools-> Options in the MoTrak menu. Under the "General" tab, you will find "Movie Settings". Click "Browse" to find the movie file on your computer. You can then set the desired circle for motion training. (i.e. the movie will pause when the subject's crosshairs move outside of the Middle Circle.)