MRIs are a type of scan that uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images of the inside of the body including the brain.

BRIGhTMIND Study MRI scans

There is an MRI scan before the TMS treatments and one at 16 weeks after first treatment. There are two reasons why MRI scans are used in the BRIGhTMIND study

1)So that the Theta-Burst stimulation TMS treatment can be targeted where different brain systems involved in depression meet (the position varies in each person), BRIGhTMIND is using an MRI scan to locate this area with the aim of maximising the number of people who experience benefits from the treatment and the length of the time they remain well. To ensure that people taking part in the study do not know which of the two possible TMS treatments they are receiving means that everyone will have the MRI scans.

2)  The second MRI scan (16 weeks after first treatment) is used to look at levels of chemicals in the brain to help us understand how the brain has responded to the TMS treatment.

The MRI Process

Once you enter the scanning room a radiographer will help you onto a table to lie down and you may have a plastic coil placed around your head. Once you are ready the radiographer who controls the scanner will press a button which slides the table into the scanner. The radiographer controls the scanner using a computer in a room outside the scanning room. You can talk to the radiographer through an intercom and they will be able to see you at all times. When you are comfortable and ready the radiographer will start the scan. During the scan it is important to stay still as movement can make the MRI images blurry. At certain times during the scan, the scanner will make banging noises which are perfectly normal; however they can be quite loud so you are given earplugs or headphones to wear. The MRI scan will take about one hour.

“This was the first time I’d had an MRI on my head. The environment was fine, but the experience inside my head was unpleasant, hot and addled is the only way I can describe it.” Gwyn.

Click here to watch a video about MRI

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