CBIC Research Participants
All human subjects research at Caltech is performed using protocols approved by the Caltech Institutional Review Board.
How can I volunteer to participate in neuroimaging research in the CBIC? The CBIC itself does not recruit research participants directly. CBIC affiliated research groups maintain an online pool of potential volunteer subjects and manage their own volunteers independently of the CBIC. All volunteer opportunities are by invitation of these groups only. We encourage you to visit Caltech's Chen Participant Center to learn more about research volunteer opportunities.
Who should volunteer? The majority of CBIC research volunteers are healthy adults with no history of neurological or psychiatric problems. The exact requirements for participation in a MRI research protocol, including but not limited to age, gender, handedness and medical history, will vary and the decision to include or exclude a participant from a study is made by the researchers according to their approved protocol. [ safety screening form ]
Who should not volunteer? The CBIC is an academic research facility and does not perform diagnostic clinical imaging. If you are interested in volunteering for a clinical trial a good starting point would be https://clinicaltrials.gov/
Who is excluded from volunteering? If you have certain types of implanted medical device such as a pacemaker, a history of industrial metal working or have non-removable metal dental braces or implants, you will likely not be allowed to volunteer as an MRI research subject. The scanner has an opening two feet (60 cm) in diameter, and about six feet (180 cm) in length and a maximum participant weight limit of 300 lb. Eyeglasses cannot be worn inside of the scanner but in most cases special MRI-compatible corrective eyeglasses can be provided. Use of contact lenses is safe and preferred. If you have metallic body piercings, you must remove them prior to being scanned. If you have skin tattoos on your head or neck, you may not be eligible for research MRI projects.
