Kelley Delaney

The Yale Reading Center now has its own Mock fMRI Scanner, designed by Research Assistant Kelley Delaney. The Mock Scanner allows every child to experience the feeling and sounds of an actual fMRI scanner in the comfort of the YRC. Inspired by a visit with Gina Della Porta to the Kennedy Kreiger Institute in Baltimore to view its Mock Scanner setup, Kelley came back to Connecticut and got to work. The end result is a smaller version of an MRI machine that can hold up to 1,200 pounds, has a table that slides into the center of a tube and actual scanner noises pumped into the room (sounds courtesy of the staff at Kennedy Krieger). Every child who participates in research studies at the Yale Reading Center has the opportunity to be run through the Mock Scanner as many times as necessary to practice holding still while being exposed to the more intimidating aspects of the fMRI. This creates a wonderful opportunity for children to ask questions and become comfortable with the fMRI before participating in an actual scan.

Click a thumbnail to enlarge image.

Other Links:

http://mri.med.yale.edu/MRRC_Facilities.htm (the MRI Center at Yale,
where all of our fMRI scanning takes place under the direction of
trained and certified technicians.)
http://www.maxandbuddy.com (a site for children with a wonderful short
cartoon video explaining the MRI process)


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