Functional MRI pain studies in children? Yes, we (s)can!

摘要

In general, clinical research in children continues to generate ethical and regulatory issues 1. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an accepted technique for scientific research in adults, but has been suggested to be more frightening for children 2 and to present more ethical dilemmas 3. Westra et al. 4 studied discomfort in 5- to 12-year-old children undergoing a clinical MRI, and found that 44 of the children rated the procedure as unpleasant. Thus, functional MRI (fMRI) during which children receive a pain stimulus may be considered even more frightening.