Magnetic Resonance Impairment

Concentration And Visuospatial Awareness Affected By MRI Scanners - Red Orbit

Standard head movements made while exposed to one of the three electromagnetic fields produced by a heavy duty MRI scanner seem to temporarily lower concentration and visuospatial awareness, shows an experimental study published online in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Complex tasks rely on working memory, suggesting that less of this is available to keep the same levels of attention and concentration going at higher levels of exposure, say the authors.

While non-verbal memory did not seem to be affected, there was a fall in verbal memory, although this only reached borderline significance. At the highest level of exposure, volunteers also experienced some physical symptoms, including metallic taste in the mouth (12 people), dizziness (6), headache (5), and nausea (1).

“The exact implications and mechanisms of these subtle acute effects in [practice] remain unclear,” write the authors.