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Brain Imaging

Brain Imaging

Brain imaging technologies provide critical insights into both the structure and function of the human brain, enabling medical professionals and researchers to diagnose, study, and treat neurological disorders or psychiatric disorders more effectively.
These technologies include computerized axial tomography (CAT or CT scans), positron-emission tomography (PET scans), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS).

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 3, 2026

A Multimodal Imaging- and Stimulation-based Method of Evaluating Connectivity-related Brain Excitability in Patients with Epilepsy

A Multimodal Imaging- and Stimulation-based Method of Evaluating Connectivity-related Brain Excitability in Patients with Epilepsy

Published on: November 13, 2016

Assessing a Stimulator Modification for Simultaneous Noninvasive Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation and MRI.

Vanessa Teckentrup^1,2, Mareike Ludwig^3,4,5, Janis Seibt^6,7

¹Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.

Journal of Neuroimaging : Official Journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging

|November 7, 2025

Summary

Researchers developed a modified stimulator cable for safe transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) during MRI. This innovation prevents overheating and image distortion, enabling reliable neurostimulation studies.

Keywords:

MRI RF electrical stimulation neuroimaging taVNS temperature vagus nerve

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Last Updated: Jul 3, 2026

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Transauricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Electroencephalographic Assessment in Disorders of Consciousness

Transauricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Electroencephalographic Assessment in Disorders of Consciousness

Published on: July 11, 2025

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Biomedical Engineering
Medical Imaging

Background:

Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) offers noninvasive neuromodulation.
Functional MRI (fMRI) can study taVNS-induced brain changes for precision neurostimulation.
A critical safety concern is RF-induced heating of taVNS devices during MRI.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop and validate a safe taVNS protocol for concurrent MRI.
To mitigate the risk of radiofrequency (RF) heating during MRI-guided taVNS.
To ensure the integrity of fMRI data acquired during taVNS.

Main Methods:

A novel stimulator cable with floating ground cable traps and filter plate connectors was designed.
Temperature, electrode resonance, and current interference were measured using modified and unmodified cables.
Experiments were conducted with phantoms and human participants across multiple 3T MRI scanner models.

Main Results:

The modified cable significantly reduced RF heating, keeping temperature increases below the ASTM F2182 standard's 2 K threshold.
Potential RF-induced current flow and associated signal loss/distortion near electrodes were eliminated, as per ASTM 2119.
Image quality in brainstem and midbrain regions, previously impaired, was restored using the modified cable.

Conclusions:

The modified stimulator cable enables safe and effective co-application of taVNS and fMRI.
This hardware modification may enhance image quality in functional neuroimaging studies.
Detailed modification instructions are provided to facilitate adoption by other researchers.