"If we find any gross abnormalities in your brain, would you like a radiologist to tell you about it?" Tobias Egner asks me. He is about to wheel me into the dark gullet of an fMRI machine at the Functional MRI Research Center at Columbia University, a leading neuroscience lab where he is a research fellow. I say yes to his question and ask if anyone ever says no. "If you answer no, we cannot do the test," Egner says. He speaks with a soft certainty and a German accent; if this were a movie, he'd be played by Willem Dafoe, a la The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou. "Ready to roll?"Technorati Tags: Function MRI, MRI, Columbia University
I'm Dr. Joshua Schwimmer, a nephrologist and internal medicine physician in New York City. • Kidney Notes was the first active nephrology blog. (Trivia: Kidney Notes is so old that the National Library of Medicine still uses it as an example of how to formally cite blogs.) • Professionally, you can find me at Kidney.nyc. • Kidney Notes is for educational purposes only, not medical advice. Consult qualified health care professionals. See disclaimer.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
"My Brain Is a Walnut" - Inside a functional MRI machine
When I was a resident, I also participated in a study in a functional MRI. I still have the images. Via Slate: