Visiting the Changing Brain Lab  

 
 
 

You and your child will be invited to the Changing Brain Lab at the University of Pennsylvania for an MRI scan visit after they complete the program. These scan visits typically last around 2 hours. We ensure the comfort of our participants by providing entertainment during the scan: children will get to watch a movie of their choice while wearing headphones and wrapped in a blanket!

 
 

Welcome!

Our team members will greet you and your child in our waiting room. Families will first meet our team in the waiting room where parents will be walked through our consent form, and given the opportunity to ask any and all questions. Our team members will also begin to get to know the child.

 

Pretend Brain Camera

Next, families will get a chance to see our “pretend brain camera”, or mock MRI scanner. The child will get a chance to practice staying still, watch a short movie, and become familiar with some of the noises they will hear in the scanner.

 

MRI Scan

Once the child decides they want to do the real scan, our team will walk the family over to another building on campus (~5 min walk) where the real MRI scan will take place. This scan will last about 1 hour. During this time, parents will fill out iPad questionnaires in the waiting room.

 

Watch this video to see what your child will do during an MRI visit at our lab.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • An MRI is a safe and radiation-free magnet that takes pictures of the body. We use it to take pictures of the brain.

  • Watch the video above to see what your child will do during an MRI visit at our lab.

  • Yes, the MRI is safe, it doesn’t involve radiation, medications, or dyes. It just works with the water that is naturally in your body to take pictures.

  • The MRI is safe for any age of person, including babies and toddlers. We wait until children are four years old to try the MRI because we find that four-year-olds are able to stay still enough for us to get a clear picture of their brain. Our team will help your child prepare for the scan by playing fun games with them and practicing with a pretend MRI. We will also give them headphones so they can watch a movie or TV show while we take the pictures.

  • This is not a medical MRI and we are not medical professionals, but if a member of our team finds something that may be of concern, we will send the scans to a collaborator in the neurology department, and if necessary, they will contact you to suggest that you may want to follow up with a medical professional.

  • We are interested in how children think and learn, and how their brains develop. We are also interested in how different experiences, like ParentChild+ and FamilyNutrition+, affect brain development.

  • We will give your child a picture of their brain. We are not medical professionals so we do not interpret the scans of individuals. Instead, we look at averages across children. If you are interested in hearing about our research, we will post new articles on our website: www.thechangingbrain.com.