fMRI Hardware System
User’s Manual
Information in this User’s Manual is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of NordicNeuroLab AS.
No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, by any means, without express written permission.
Warnings
Never open any of the devices, including the coil-mounted displays and headphones. There are no user serviceable parts inside. The electronics can be damaged by static electricity. Electric shock may occur if /when touching the electronics.
The Shielded Interface Unit (SIU) should be kept as far away from the MR/magnet as possible. Due to magnetic content inside the shielded interface unit, it must never be exposed to field strengths of 200 Gauss (20mT) or more.
To avoid potential electric shock, do not operate this equipment in a damp, rainy, or moisture-filled environment.
Try to keep the cables in straight lines (as far as possible). Never place cables in a coil. This may result in heating which may cause fire or burns to the operator or patient.
Patients with epilepsy may get an epileptic seizure as a result of using the coil-mounted display.
DANGER! Never disconnect and look into the fiber cable or the optical connector. The transmitter contains a solid state Laser Diode. This device emits invisible infrared light which can be harmful to the human eye. At close distance, the intensity may be sufficient to cause instant damage to the retina of the eye.
Contents
1 Introduction 8
1.1 Functionality and intended use 8
1.2 System overview 9
2 What’s Included 11
3 Installation guide 16
3.1 SyncBox 16
3.1.1 Nomenclature 16
3.1.2 Instructions 17
3.2 ResponseGrip 19
3.2.1 Nomenclature 19
3.2.2 Instructions 20
3.3 Fiber-optic Transmitter 22
3.3.1 Nomenclature 22
3.3.2 Instructions 23
3.4 Communication console 25
3.4.1 Nomenclature 25
3.4.2 Instructions 26
3.5 Shielded Interface Unit 27
3.5.1 Nomenclature 27
3.5.2 Instructions 29
3.6 Coil-mounted display 30
3.6.1 Instructions 30
3.7 Headphones 30
3.8 Software Installation 31
4 How to operate the… 34
4.1 SyncBox 34
4.1.1 Manual mode 34
4.1.2 Computer Mode 38
4.2 ResponseGrip 40
4.2.1 Serial communication 40
4.3 VisualSystem 45
4.3.1 OLED Interface 45
4.3.2 Coil-mounted display (CMD) 46
4.4 AudioSystem 47
4.4.1 Headphones 47
4.4.2 Communication Console 48
5 How to clean the equipment 50
6 Support & Troubleshooting 52
6.1.1 VisualSystem 52
6.1.2 ResponseGrip 53
7 Technical characteristics 56
7.1 Stimulus Presentation PC Requirements 56
7.2 SyncBox 56
7.3 ResponseGrip handles 57
7.4 ResponseGrip optic-electric adapter 57
7.5 Communication Console 58
7.6 Headphones 60
7.7 Optic-electric transmitter 60
7.8 Coil-mounted display 61
7.9 Shielded Interface Unit 61
7.9.1 Power Supply 62
7.9.2 Optic-electric Adapter Unit 62
7.9.3 OLED Interface Unit 62
7.9.4 Electrostatic Energizer 63
8 Declaration of Conformity 64
9 Limited warranty 65
10 Contact 66
The fMRI Hardware System is a complete hardware solution for fMRI. The system presents auditory and visual stimuli to the patient and receives feedback from the patient trough a pair of hand-held grips. The system package also includes a synchronization module to synchronize the stimulus presentation PC with the MR scanner, improving accuracy, quality, and validity of the fMRI analysis.
This equipment is designed for fMRI studies with the intention to facilitate these studies and to increase their accuracy.
The AudioSystem and VisualSystem are powerful solutions for presenting stimulus materials to the subject/patient. These stimuli evoke a measurable physiological/hemodynamic response related to neural activity in the brain.
Comparison of images acquired of the active and the inactive brain then renders functional brain images and, thus, allows for the investigation of mechanisms related to the processing of the presented stimuli.
fMRI