Empirical Examination of the Potential Adverse Psychological Effects Associated with Pediatric fMRI Scanning

Shechner, Tomer; Wakschlag, Naomi; Britton, Jennifer C.; Jarcho, Johanna M.; Ernst, Monique; Pine, Daniel S.

doi:10.1089/cap.2012.0076

Cited by 10 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…The central finding of this study–the lack of a difference between children and adolescents on the one hand, and adults on the other, with respect to anxiety experienced during bMRI scanning–is in accordance with the findings of Shechner et al and Thomason et al (Table 2; [13, 14]). The relatively low percentage of children and adolescents with marked anxiety during the scan was in the same range as that obtained by Shechner et al [13] and Marshall et al [3].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…The findings of the present study were obtained in a clinical sample, rather than in a group of persons who were healthy research subjects, as in the studies of Shechner et al [13] and Thomason et al (11). This fact hampers comparisons across studies, but also lends additional validity to the findings of the present study, as one can assume that MRI scans performed for clinical purposes would generally be more likely to cause stress than those performed purely for research.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Only three studies to date have included a direct comparison of the anxiety experienced by children and adolescents undergoing MRI with that of adults. Shechner et al [13] and Thomason [14] found that children had the same emotional responses to MRI as adults, and that some children even gained more pleasure from the experience than adults did. Shechner et al also found that anxious children displayed no more anxiety during MRI procedures than their non-anxious counterparts did.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A comparison study of anxiety in children undergoing brain MRI vs adults undergoing brain MRI vs children undergoing an electroencephalogram

et al. 2019

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Background Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain in children and adolescents is a well-established method in both clinical practice and in neuroscientific research. This practice is sometimes viewed critically, as MRI scans might expose minors (e.g. through scan-associated fears) to more than the legally permissible “minimal burden”. While there is evidence that a significant portion of adults undergoing brain MRI scans experience anxiety, data on anxiety in children and adolescents undergoing brain MRI scans is rare. This study therefore aimed to examine the prevalence and level of anxiety in children and adolescents who had MRI scans of the brain, and to compare the results to adults undergoing brain MRI scans, and to children and adolescents undergoing electroencephalography (EEG; which is usually regarded a “minimal burden”). Method Participants were 57 children and adolescents who had a brain MRI scan (MRI-C; mean age 12.9 years), 28 adults who had a brain MRI scan (MRI-A; mean age 43.7 years), and 66 children and adolescents undergoing EEG (EEG-C; mean age 12.9 years). Anxiety was assessed on the subjective (situational anxiety) and on the physiological level (arousal), before and after the respective examination. Results More than 98% of children and adolescents reported no or only minimal fear during the MRI scan. Both pre- and post-examination, the MRI-C and the MRI-A groups did not differ significantly with respect to situational anxiety ( p = 0.262 and p = 0.374, respectively), and to physiological arousal ( p = 0.050, p = 0.472). Between the MRI-C and the EEG-C group, there were also no significant differences in terms of situational anxiety ( p = 0.525, p = 0.875), or physiological arousal ( p = 0.535, p = 0.189). Prior MRI experience did not significantly influence subjective or physiological anxiety parameters. Conclusions In this study, children and adolescents undergoing a brain MRI scan did not experience significantly more anxiety than those undergoing an EEG, or adults undergoing MRI scanning. Therefore, a general exclusion of minors from MRI research studies does not appear reasonable.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A comparison study of anxiety in children undergoing brain MRI vs adults undergoing brain MRI vs children undergoing an electroencephalogram

et al. 2019

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“…For children, many aspects of participating in a neuroimaging experiment can be challenging and potentially more stressful compared with adults, as their capacity to regulate emotions is still developing (Luna, Garver, Urban, Lazar, & Sweeney, 2004). Thus, anxiety caused by the fMRI experiment itself may potentially cloud developmental neuroimaging data on emotion reactivity and may do so for some children more than others (Michalska, Gardiner et al, 2018;Pecukonis, Anderson, Sadikova, & Redcay, 2017;Shechner et al, 2013).…”

Section: Fmrimentioning

confidence: 99%

The psychobiology of emotional development: The case for examining sociocultural processes

Michalska

Davis

2018

Developmental Psychobiology

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Psychobiological techniques to assess emotional responding have revolutionized the field of emotional development in recent decades by equipping researchers with the tools to quantify children's emotional reactivity and regulation more directly than behavioral approaches allow. Knowledge gained from the incorporation of methods spanning levels of analysis has been substantial, yet many open questions remain. In this prospective review, we (a) describe the major conceptual and empirical advances that have resulted from this methodological innovation, and (b) lay out a case for what we view as the most pressing challenge for the next decades of research into the psychobiology of emotional development: focusing empirical efforts toward understanding the implications of the broader sociocultural contexts in which children develop that shape the psychobiology of emotion. Thus, this review integrates previous knowledge about the psychobiology of emotion with a forward‐looking set of recommendations for incorporating sociocultural processes into future investigations.

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“…Behavioral therapies, child life specialists, and simulation in a mock scanner environment can help allay additional concerns for both the patient and family. [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] It is preferable that patients remain awake during fMRI examinations. Impaired patient consciousness can affect fMRI results due to the inability to actively perform tasks, as well alterations in brain perfusion.…”

Section: Blood Oxygen Level-dependent Techniquementioning

confidence: 99%

Pediatric Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Clinical Applications

Welker

2017

J Pediatr Neurol

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Task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is an imaging technique based on blood oxygenation level-dependent imaging. Maps of brain activation are generated during the performance of designated tasks involving eloquent functions, such as motor, sensory, visual, auditory, and/or language. Optimal performance of fMRI in children requires consideration of multiple psychological and physiological parameters. Also, a solid technical understanding is needed for appropriate study design, implementation, processing, and interpretation. In this article, the authors review the key principles of fMRI technique, study design, data processing, and interpretation. The important clinical applications in the pediatric population will be highlighted, accompanied by example cases from their institution.

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Empirical Examination of the Potential Adverse Psychological Effects Associated with Pediatric fMRI Scanning

Abstract: The observed findings suggest that the potential for fMRI to produce anxiety should not impede its widespread use in clinical research, psychopharmacology, and biological psychiatry.

Cited by 10 publications

References 25 publications

A comparison study of anxiety in children undergoing brain MRI vs adults undergoing brain MRI vs children undergoing an electroencephalogram

A comparison study of anxiety in children undergoing brain MRI vs adults undergoing brain MRI vs children undergoing an electroencephalogram

The psychobiology of emotional development: The case for examining sociocultural processes

Pediatric Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Clinical Applications

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