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Department of Cognitive Science

Information for Research Participants

Who is eligible?

Child in MEG DewarThere are no known risks associated with MEG. Participating in a MEG study consists of lying on a bed while your head is positioned in the helmet-shaped device that contains the sensors. The SQUID sensors passively detect the weak magnetic fields that emerge from the head while you perform a task. MEG is completely silent and non-invasive (e.g. no exposure to strong magnetic fields).

People who have metal in their body (such as surgical screws, steel pins from root canals, orthodontic wires, or other metal fragments) should not participate in an MEG study because these devices will cause significant interference in the MEG signal, and they can damage the sensors. The same applies for people with active implants (for example, cardiac pacemakers, cochlear implants). People with dental fillings can participate in our studies as these do not cause interference.

There are no known or foreseeable risks or side effects associated with MEG recording. However, you do need to lie very still during the measurement since movements create artefacts in the MEG data. The shielded room is quiet and the lights are turned down low. If you think that being in a small space under these conditions will make you uncomfortable you should not participate in MEG studies.

Door to MSRA typical experiment involves the following steps

  1. When you arrive you will be asked to remove any magnetic materials from your clothing or your person (e.g., wrist watch, ear-rings). If you have magnetic material permanently fixed to your body (e.g. dental work, a cardiac pacemaker, metal rods, plates or screws) you are not be eligible to participate in a MEG study (see Who is eligible section).
  2. Before entering the shielded room, we will fit a cap to your head which holds five small coils. We will use a digital pen to measure the location of these coils on your head.
  3. Once you are inside the shielded room, you will lie down on a bed. We will slide the bed so that your head rests inside the helmet. You will put foam ear tips into your ears which are connected to a set of headphones. This will allow you to listen to our instructions and to the auditory input. If the experiment requires you to read sentences or look at pictures, a small screen will be placed in front of you. Once you are comfortable, the researcher will leave the room and close the door.
  4. We will run a few pre-tests to make sure that the system is recording your brain activity. For instance, you will look at a series of checkerboards, and or you will listen to a series of beeps. These tests take about 2 minutes.
  5. After the pre-tests, you will be asked view various kinds of visual images or sounds and respond to targets with a button-press. Your brain activity will be recorded by a computer and later analysed by one of the researchers.
  6. After the experimental session has been completed, the researcher will open the MEG door and you will leave the room.

You will be able to listen to us through headphones and speak to us through a microphone. There is also a camera inside the room to monitor your safety.

Digitsation of head shapesHow to prepare to participate in a MEG study

These are general guidelines. The researcher may have further recommendations, so check with them also.

  • Be sure to get adequate sleep the night prior to testing so that you are well rested.
  • Magnetised metal objects may cause damage to the MEG sensors and/or cause excessive artefacts in the recording so we ask that anyone participating in the MEG Research Study minimise the amount of metal on their person.
  • You will be asked to remove any metal objects (especially jewelery, piercings, and watches) and empty pockets before entering the Magnetically Shielded Room (MSR) so that we can get the best recording possible.
  • Avoid wearing any clothing that may be made of metal or have metal parts, i.e., metal buttons, large zipper or other trimming. Do not wear clothing which contains glitter or metallic threads.
  • For female subjects we suggest that you wear a sports bra (that does not have a metal clasp) rather than a standard bra which may have a metal underwire. If you are wearing an underwire bra, you will need to remove it or wear a sports bra. If you have magnetic parts on your clothing that cannot be easily removed, we will provide you with non-magnetic clothing. We have a changing room where you can change your clothes.
  • If you are wearing make-up when you arrive at our facilities (especially mascara, eye liner or eye shadow as they may contain metallic particles), we will ask you to remove it. We have make-up remover for your convenience. Ideally, you should not wear any make-up (moisturizers are ok).

How do I participate in MEG experiments?

Who do I contact for more information

If you have any additional questions please contact: