Development of a fully automated system for delivering odors in an MRI environment.

Cuevas, Isabel;Gérard, Benoît;Plaza, Paula Loreto;Lerens, Elodie;Renier, Laurent;et.al.
(2010) Behavior Research Methods — Vol. 42, n° 4, p. 1072-1078 (2010)

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Authors
  • Cuevas, IsabelUCLouvain
    Author
  • Gérard, BenoîtUCLouvain
    Author
  • Plaza, Paula LoretoUCLouvain
    Author
  • Lerens, ElodieUCLouvain
    Author
  • Author
  • Grandin, CécileUCLouvain
    Author
  • De Volder, AnneUCLouvain
    Author
  • Renier, LaurentUCLouvain
    Author
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Abstract
We describe the development and evaluation of a computer-controlled system for delivering odors in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) environment. The system allows a timely presentation of different odors in synchrony with MRI sequences and participant's inspiration phase. The rise/fall time of odor deliverance has been optimized to generate prompt and strong stimulations. Equipped with a user-friendly programming interface, the system can be used reliably in a wide range of experimental paradigms. We have paid particular attention to developing a portable system that is relatively easy, rapid, and inexpensive to replicate. The equipment has been tested in a 3-Tesla MRI in a boxcar paradigm, in which stimulation conditions alternated with rest periods (no stimulation). The experiment demonstrated the good functioning of the device and its efficiency in producing the expected activation in the olfactory cortex; it also revealed some methodological and technical aspects to be improved.
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Citations

Cuevas, I., Gérard, B., Plaza, P. L., Lerens, E., Collignon, O., Grandin, C., De Volder, A., & Renier, L. (2010). Development of a fully automated system for delivering odors in an MRI environment. Behavior Research Methods, 42(4), 1072-1078. https://doi.org/10.3758/BRM.42.4.1072 (Original work published 2010)