<p>The <a href="http://mriquestions.com/whats-that-noise.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">sounds and noises</a> that a typical MRI scanner produces are problematic for several reasons:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>they give - annoying as they are - a strong feel of <strong>uncomfortableness</strong> to any subject or patient</p></li>
<li><p>they are quite loud, dominant, and <strong>distracting</strong> and disturb <em>any</em> kind of processing a task, not only auditory related tasks (but obviously these)</p></li>
<li><p>they especially strongly disturb the measurement of any <strong>subtle emotional response</strong>.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>I have heard of several <a href="http://mriquestions.com/whats-that-noise.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">solutions</a> to this problem (partly successful):</p>

<ol>
<li><p>physical (hardware-based) attenuation and prevention </p></li>
<li><p>software-based attenuation or "softening"</p></li>
<li><p>making the sounds and noises part of the experimental design, e.g. in this arcticle: <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mrm.1910400621/abstract?systemMessage=Wiley%20Online%20Library%20will%20be%20unavailable%20on%20Saturday%207th%20Oct%20from%2003.00%20EDT%20%2F%2008%3A00%20BST%20%2F%2012%3A30%20IST%20%2F%2015.00%20SGT%20to%2008.00%20EDT%20%2F%2013.00%20BST%20%2F%2017%3A30%20IST%20%2F%2020.00%20SGT%20and%20Sunday%208th%20Oct%20from%2003.00%20EDT%20%2F%2008%3A00%20BST%20%2F%2012%3A30%20IST%20%2F%2015.00%20SGT%20to%2006.00%20EDT%20%2F%2011.00%20BST%20%2F%2015%3A30%20IST%20%2F%2018.00%20SGT%20for%20essential%20maintenance.%20Apologies%20for%20the%20inconvenience%20caused%20." rel="nofollow noreferrer">The MR tomograph as a sound generator</a></p></li>
</ol>

<p>Some overviews can be found here:</p>

<ul>
<li><p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4139601/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Methodological challenges and solutions in auditory functional magnetic resonance imaging</a></p></li>
<li><p><a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jmri.10186/full" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Acoustic Noise and Functional Magnetic Resonance
Imaging: Current Strategies and Future Prospects</a></p></li>
</ul>

<p>My question is:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Are there other - maybe completely different - approaches to solve the problem of sounds and noises
  of MRI scanners?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>(I assume that not everyone would have immediately come up with the third approach!)</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-30T04:22:08.880Z
There was one study on mindfulness where they had participants practice meditation outside the scanner, but with simulated scanner noise.  This way participants learned to deal with the scanner noise while doing the task, and so they were able to engage in meditation successfully in the scanner.  If I can find the study, I'll link to it.
mrt
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-30T06:31:45.910Z
Great hint! A reference would be welcome.
Hans-Peter Stricker
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-17T14:47:10.647Z
@mrt: Would you mind giving me a reference?
Hans-Peter Stricker
<neuroscience><neuroimaging>
How to cope with the problem of noise in fMRI?
Hans-Peter Stricker
# How to cope with the problem of noise in fMRI?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-09-29)

The [sounds and noises](http://mriquestions.com/whats-that-noise.html) that a typical MRI scanner produces are problematic for several reasons:

* they give - annoying as they are - a strong feel of **uncomfortableness** to any subject or patient
* they are quite loud, dominant, and **distracting** and disturb *any* kind of processing a task, not only auditory related tasks (but obviously these)
* they especially strongly disturb the measurement of any **subtle emotional response**.

I have heard of several [solutions](http://mriquestions.com/whats-that-noise.html) to this problem (partly successful):

1. physical (hardware-based) attenuation and prevention
2. software-based attenuation or "softening"
3. making the sounds and noises part of the experimental design, e.g. in this arcticle: [The MR tomograph as a sound generator](http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mrm.1910400621/abstract?systemMessage=Wiley%20Online%20Library%20will%20be%20unavailable%20on%20Saturday%207th%20Oct%20from%2003.00%20EDT%20%2F%2008%3A00%20BST%20%2F%2012%3A30%20IST%20%2F%2015.00%20SGT%20to%2008.00%20EDT%20%2F%2013.00%20BST%20%2F%2017%3A30%20IST%20%2F%2020.00%20SGT%20and%20Sunday%208th%20Oct%20from%2003.00%20EDT%20%2F%2008%3A00%20BST%20%2F%2012%3A30%20IST%20%2F%2015.00%20SGT%20to%2006.00%20EDT%20%2F%2011.00%20BST%20%2F%2015%3A30%20IST%20%2F%2018.00%20SGT%20for%20essential%20maintenance.%20Apologies%20for%20the%20inconvenience%20caused%20.)

Some overviews can be found here:

* [Methodological challenges and solutions in auditory functional magnetic resonance imaging](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4139601/)
* [Acoustic Noise and Functional Magnetic Resonance
  Imaging: Current Strategies and Future Prospects](http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jmri.10186/full)

My question is:

> Are there other - maybe completely different - approaches to solve the problem of sounds and noises
> of MRI scanners?

(I assume that not everyone would have immediately come up with the third approach!)

**Tags:** neuroscience, neuroimaging

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: There was one study on mindfulness where they had participants practice meditation outside the scanner, but with simulated scanner noise.  This way participants learned to deal with the scanner noise while doing the task, and so they were able to engage in meditation successfully in the scanner.  If I can find the study, I'll link to it.  
> **username_0**: Great hint! A reference would be welcome.  
> **username_0**: @username_1: Would you mind giving me a reference?  

---

## 0 answers

