Last Updated: 06/06/2026
Regulations
The safety of visitors and Center staff is of paramount importance. It takes precedence over any research considerations and over the convenience of any investigator. For this reason, the Center has prepared a manual of safety procedures (see MRI Safety Policies) to which adherence is required. The Technical Committee ensures compliance with these procedures, updates the manual as needed and reviews it annually. All personnel working at the Center must participate in safety training at least once a year.
The Center is equipped to investigate human subjects, spanning from infancy to older adults, including patients with stable conditions compatible with MR imaging, as part of a research protocol (see CCBBI Policy for Structural MR Scans). The Center does not currently have a provision for the use of contrast materials or for sedation. None of the studies to be conducted at the Center are to have a clinical purpose, and there is no medical or radiological staff on the premises. In recognition of the fact that, on occasion, incidental findings may need to be investigated medically, and in a best-faith effort to inform research subjects of that possibility, the policy of CCBBI is to have all structural scans of normal research subjects reviewed by a neuroradiologist.
Certification
For an investigator or student to be allowed to operate the scanner at the Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Brain Imaging, it is necessary that they provide a valid MR Operator Certification (see MR Operator Certification). This certification is conferred by the Technical Committee of the Center, under the guidance of the Center’s Director. Certifications are valid for one year, after which time a recertification must be obtained.
Participant Identification
Participants to be scanned at CCBBI are given a code number followed by the initials of the investigator. This is the “name” to be entered during patient registration on the MR console. Neither the participant’s actual name nor any other identifying information is to be entered in the MR computer file, to make certain that subject privacy can be fully observed. Individual investigators are responsible for keeping records in order to identify the raw data collected at the Center.
Participant Procedures
Each investigator is responsible for obtaining IRB approval for their study and for filing the approval document with the Center’s Manager. Investigators are also responsible for explaining informed consent procedures to every subject and for having every subject sign the informed consent form. No subject can be scanned without a signed informed consent form. The code number assigned to the study will be added to the form.
A MR safety screening will also be performed by the Center staff and will be signed by the participant and by the MR personnel performing the screening. The screening results may preclude a subject from participating in a study. For subjects with a history of cerebro-vascular disease, neurosurgical procedures, or accidents in which metallic objects or particles might have been lodged inside soft brain or eye tissue, it is necessary to submit a medical report, signed by a physician, stating that it is safe for the subject to undergo an MRI. This report needs to be filed together with the signed IRB and screening questionnaire.
Each investigator is responsible for bringing along one MRI User or MRI operator (see Safety Manual for definition) to help perform the actual study for studies conducted during working hours. Two MRI users are required for studies conducted during off hours. CCBBI also implements a certification process for users (refer to MR Operator Certification). Approval in writing from the CCBBI Director is required for users interested in operating the MR scanner.
Fee Structure
The MRI Technologist will help perform scans conducted in the Center without extra charge.
Funded research with OSU accounts: A fee of $550.00 per hour is charged for scans on funded research for studies performed between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm Monday through Friday.
Funded research with non-OSU accounts: An overhead fee (currently 52.5%) will be added to OSU rates for qualified external researchers holding a funded protocol.
Award Allocation to CCBBI During Submission of External Proposals: CCBBI Fellows and Affiliates will be asked to include CCBBI in the ePA005 for proportional award allocation, but no expenditure allocation will be needed for CCBBI Fellows or Affiliates
Research Proposals
All research proposals are to be submitted to the Steering Committee for review.
Pilot studies: Pilot studies are meant to produce preliminary results to facilitate the submission of grant requests, and they are not meant to produce, by themselves, publishable results. A maximum of 10 free pilot study hours per investigator per year may be granted after submission and approval of a proposal to the Steering Committee.
Each pilot proposal will be reviewed by two referees from within or outside the committee as appropriate. Requests for pilot studies are to be accompanied by a brief description of the proposed study in which the hypothesis is clearly stated along with a rationale, description of the subjects to be scanned, the number of subjects, and the specification of the protocol to be used. There should also be a brief statement regarding the type of analysis to be performed and a mention of the source(s) from which the investigator plans to seek funding once the pilot studies have been completed. The proposal must also include the names of any personnel involved in obtaining MR data and their qualification to run the study. Proposals should be a maximum of 3 to 4 pages (double spaced) in length.
Approval of a proposal depends on its feasibility, merit, the availability of time on the magnet as assessed by the Committee, and on securing IRB approval by the responsible investigator. Please note that due to the heavy demand on scanner availability, the CCBBI Steering Committee has decided to continue funding the pilot program. However, hours for pilot studies will only be made available the preceding Friday.
Funded studies: Requests for funded studies also require a brief proposal, similar to the one outlined above, to assist the Committee in deciding if the Center is equipped to perform the proposed studies.
Before submitting an external grant request involving MRI scans, investigators are urged to contact the Director or Assistant Director and make certain that the Center is prepared to commit the resources necessary for the particular study. The Center will not be required to honor scanning requests for funded studies unless a prior agreement has been reached between the investigator and the Director or Assistant Director of the Center.
Scheduling of Studies
Once a study is approved by the committee, the scheduling of the date and time for each study is accomplished on-line by the investigators (Scheduling Policy). When scheduling Pilot scans, the word “PILOT” must be on the CCBBI scheduling calendar or it will be billed as a Funded study.
All scheduling is coordinated by the MRI Technologist, Elizabeth Sponseller. To cancel a reservation or amend an erroneously entered time slot, please contact the Technologist for assistance with the schedule.