The following is intended to provide you with a basic set of guidelines for good laboratory practice. Because so many people will be in and out of the lab on a regular basis, it is of crucial importance that everyone follows these guidelines. Our hope is that by familiarizing yourself with the lab and its practices, time will not be lost and hazards resulting from careless oversights will be avoided.

• Reserving Scan Time
• IRB/HIPAA Compliance
• MSI Safety Guidelines
  • Before Entering the Magnetically Shielded Room (MSR)
  • Protecting Vectorview from Magnetic Contamination
  • Moving the Vectorview Gantry
  • Positioning the Subject Chair and Bed
  • Monitoring the Subject from Outside the MSR
  • Liquid Helium
  • Food and Beverage
  • Emergency Stop
  • Emergencies
  
  

MSI core team supported research scan times are:

• Monday to Friday from 9am - 5pm

There are also non-supported slots available (for more experienced users):

• Weeknights from 5pm - 7am,
• Saturdays from 3 pm, and
• Sundays

There is a chance that clinical scans might be necessary on short notice and will interfere with pre-scheduled research scans. It will be the exception. Usually clinical scans are prescheduled. Additionally, no recordings will be possible Saturdays from 9 am to 12 pm due to the helium fill. After filling helium the system needs to "calm down" for a couple of hours. Therefore we recommend not to schedule scans on Saturday before 3 pm. Please check the current calendar for available time slots and changes.

All Principal Investigators (PI) must formally request for scan time on the MEG. The requests can be submitted at any time. All new investigators - who can not pay for MEG scan time - must submit a research proposal to the MSI Research Steering Committee prior to requesting measurement time. Submitting a research proposal is not required for paid research scans.

When requesting scan time, the PI will be asked to provide the following information for billing purposes:

• Project title or grant title
• Fund number and active dates
• For non-UoU funds, name of contact billing person at outside institution
• List of authorized users of the account

We will make every attempt to accommodate special requests (e.g. requests for daytime scan hours with core team support, special equipment), however, we ask that users consider their special request carefully, and be flexible and reasonable.

Please notify Myles Reilly, mreilly @ uumsi.med.utah.edu at least 24 hours in advance if you will not be able to use your time slot (providing the reason for cancellation) so that we may redistribute the time to another user. Please make every effort to keep these incidents to a minimum by calling your subjects to confirm their appointments, making sure they know when and where to report for the study, and how they can reach you at any time.

Usually MEG subjects will need an MR image of their brain (usually a T1 volume scan) so that the MEG information can be integrated with their personal anatomy. Images are taken here at the Center of Advanced Medical Technologies. The Radiology Department will honor studies approved by the MEG Research Steering Committee. More details to follow.

Please refer to our website under "IRB/HIPAA compliance" for more detailed information on human studies before requesting measurement time.

It is the responsibility of each investigator and their staff to understand and abide by the policies of the Institutional Review Board of the University of Utah (IRB) regarding human subjects research. We have assembled a packet of pertinent documents that we recommend you read and feel free to use as templates for your IRB application. You find these documents here.

Investigators performing human studies at the Center of Advanced Medical Technologies must submit documentation of compliance with IRB regulations. We cannot assign measurement time or allow use of the MEG without IRB documentation!! This information will be kept in the investigator's file at UUMSI. Please help us keep this information up to date.

Safety first - always. The usual rules of any lab apply to the MSI, but some additional points unique to using MEG are worth stressing. No measurements should be made prior to reading the following section!

Subjects may not enter the MSR without signing a consent form. Anyone entering the MSR must first "de-metal" (empty pockets; remove jewelry, watches, wallets, beepers, hairclips; leave pens, clipboards etc. outside). Don't use paper clips or other small metal objects (staples, etc.) around the MSR; they tend to land on the floor and find their way inside the room.

The Vectorview system is comprised of 306 thin-film superconducting interference devices (SQUIDs). The sensors are ultra-sensitive! They can pick up changes in a magnetic field in the femto Teslas range (10^ -15 T)!

Although wearing metal objects while in the MSR is not harmful to the individual, bringing magnetic objects close to the Vectorview can cause trapped flux in the SQUIDs, which potentially can lead to a long and expensive service break causing an obvious delay in scans. Therefore, before entering the MSR, we require that you remove any potentially magnetic objects. These include belts, keys, watches, coins, hair barrettes and pins, eyeglasses, and pieces of clothing with magnetic parts. Also, to prevent any magnetic dust from getting into the MSR, always remove your shoes before entering! Objects such as cell phones, pagers, cameras, flashlights, or any other electrical equipment are strictly forbidden. Never take a bar magnet inside the MSR. All research subjects have to change into scrubs before entering the MSR! No exceptions!

Do not touch Vectorview unnecessarily, and keep a respectful distance from the device. Furthermore, to prevent microscopic magnetic particles from causing spurious results, do not attach anything (eg, tape) to the Vectorview helmet.

Do not leave any equipment in the MSR (other than the projector screen, auditory and somatosensory stimulators, and response pads). Place experimental equipment in assigned storage space outside the MSR.

The gantry can be in one of two positions, upright (sitting) or supine (lying down). The gantry is usually in the upright position, but during the helium fill on Saturdays, for example, the gantry is in the supine position. The gantry is lifted or lowered by pushing two buttons that are located on the back of the gantry. When these buttons are pushed, the gantry is lifted or lowered by ropes that are connected to a motor outside the MSR. During measurements, the gantry rests on two claws, both of which can hold at least four times the weight of the gantry. However, when the gantry is lifted or lowered, it hangs from the ropes only, and should something unexpected happen the whole unit (~270 kg) could fall down and seriously injure someone. Thus it is important to understand the following process to avoid such an injury. If you have never moved the gantry before or if you feel uncomfortable doing so, please alert Myles who will assist you.

There are four "traffic lights" behind the gantry that indicate whether or not it is safe to place a subject under the dewar. The green light indicates that the gantry is resting safely on the claws; you may place a subject under the dewar only when the green light is lit. The yellow light indicates that there is either tension in the ropes (eg, during lifting or lowering) or that the gantry is in an extreme position where it shouldn't be. The red light indicates that something is wrong, and you should contact service personnel.

If you notice that the green light is not lit, and the subject is already seated under the dewar, first remove the subject and only afterwards should you move the gantry. Never move the gantry while the subject, chair, or bed are under the dewar!

Once moved, allow approximately 30 minutes for the system to settle before tuning and beginning any measurements.

The MEG chair is simply pushed into the opening beneath the dewar; no locking mechanism is needed. Similarly the bed is pushed against Vectorview, but in order to keep it from moving, the wheels should be locked.

During measurements, you can communicate with the subject by means of a two-way intercom system. Hit 1 to turn on the system, M to speak to the subject, and C to turn off the system. You will be able to hear the subject without pressing any additional buttons, although while you press M you will be unable to hear him or her. Additionally, you can monitor the subject by watching them on the TV monitor.

Never leave a subject or patient unsupervised in the MSR! If someone is inside the MSR and you are alone, do not leave the measurement room even for a short while. Someone must be available for help if something unexpected happens.

Familiarize yourself with the section of the Vectorview manual that concerns the properties of liquid helium. It is highly unlikely that you would encounter such dangers while running a study due to the ventilation system installed in the MSR, however, it is important to keep these properties in mind while present for the helium fill, for example. Such properties include

• its extremely low temperature when liquid (-279 C),
• its ability to replace oxygen in the air, and
• its tendency to expand in an explosive manner when transforming from liquid to gas at room temperature.

The cryogenic dewar of the Vectorview, which contains maximally 80 L of liquid helium, has several mechanisms to ensure that the dewar does not leak. However, if you hear any hissing sounds coming from the Vectorview, leave the MSR and contact the core team.

No food or beverage is allowed inside the MSR! You may bring food/beverage into the lab, but do NOT bring them inside the MSR.

In the event that someone is trapped inside the MSR (and neither the inside nor the outside buttons will open the door), there is a red and yellow emergency stop button on both the inside and outside of the MSR that will release the door so that it can be pushed open manually.

For fire, acute illness, or other serious emergencies, the general emergency telephone number is 911. The number for University of Utah Department of Public Safety is (801) 585-2677. Remain calm, answer questions clearly, and do not hang up before permitted to do so. Everyday first-aid items such as band-aids, gauze, and alcohol are located in the prep room (# 151) in the cabinet above the sink.