What is the latest

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The Respiract Device is now available at DISC

May 7, 2022

We now have installed the Respiract device to conduct studies of cerebrovascular reactivity. Different gas combinations (oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide) and temporal stimulus patterns are available for your studies. please contact us for more information

Tiffany Dardar joins the team

April 25, 2022

Tiffany Dardar joins our team as our second MRI technologist. Please say Hi and welcome her to UW.

SyntheticMR is available

April 1, 2022

We have the 3D QALAS and synthetic MRI sequence at DISC. You can quantify T1, T2, and PD and generate a MRI image of any contrast within 5 minutes! Please contact us for more information.

B0 eddy-corrected MEGA PRESS is here

Feb 8, 2022

We have an updated patch from Johns Hopkins University for MEGA PRESS with B0 eddy current correction.

Parking Update

Oct 10, 2021

There are two parking options available:

1. Arranged parking: This option can be used for Triangle Garage. This lot is further away from DISC.
2. Coupon codes: This option is available for self-serve parking spaces in S1 Garage, which is the most convenient for DISC.

The second option is preferred. Parking permits or codes can be ordered using a UW budget number at this link. These options are listed under ‘For visitors.’ In both cases, you will be charged only after the service is used.

Software Update

July 14, 2021

The software version has been upgraded from R5.7.1 to R5.7.1. SP2 which included some minor bug fixes.

Real-time data monitoring and motion correction

May 3, 2021

We have now enabled real-time data transfer capabilities for dynamic sequences on the scanner. It is currently used by studies for assessing motion and artifacts to decide if the scan should be repeated. If you would like to use this tool for immediate motion assessment or for other innovative applications, please get in touch!

MEGA PRESS is here

March 10, 2021

Dr. Richard Edden's MEGAPRESS patch for GABA-MRS is now available at DISC. Please check in with us if you would like to use it.

DISC MR team is BLS certified

March 8, 2021

Tim Wilbur, Liza Young and Swati Rane Levendovszky are now BLS (re-)certified.

Software Update

Jan 10, 2021

The software version has been upgraded from R5.6.1 to R5.7.1. THe update allows for inline distortion correction using reverse polarity acquisitions for fMRI/DTI, and true B0 acquisitions for DTI

Update to operations under COVID by HSD

Nov 18, 2020

When using the COVID Relative Risk Assessment Tool to decide whether their research is allowed, researchers should select "increasing" on Factor One (COVID pandemic trend in the local research location) for most research locations. This may mean that some ongoing research with a score near the cut-off threshold no longer qualifies to continue. Ongoing studies whose COVID Risk Score was very close to the cut-off criterion Research is allowed if the total score is 18 or less. Some ongoing studies may have been assessed as having a score of 16-18 when Risk Factor 1 about the local COVID situation was "Flat – 2 points". The current Risk Score for these studies will now be 2 points higher, because of the COVID surge. These studies should be immediately modified to bring the current Risk Score down to the criterion level or 18 or less. There are many ways this can be accomplished; researchers should modify what makes the most sense for each specific study. Changes to any one of these is likely to be sufficient to adequately reduce the risk:

• Eliminate procedures with higher risk scores
• Exclude higher age groups
• Reduce the amount of time with "close" procedures
• Reduce the number of people interacting with participants
• Increase PPE protections beyond what is already required

Operations under COVID

Jul 15, 2020

Per HSD announcement, DISC is approved as an imaging facility for Category 4 studies since mid-July. Briefly, it includes the following: COVID-focused research OR The research procedures will be performed in association with a clinical care visit at the clinical care location, OR Longitudinal research procedures for participants who had completed at least one study session prior to March 23, 2020. Except for certain kinds of imaging (see italicized notes above), the procedures can occur in any location, OR The research procedures are for necessary in-person safety monitoring procedure that cannot be eliminated or done in an alternative manner. This applies only to participants who were already participating in study procedures prior to March 23, 2020. Clinical trials as defined by HSD are also allowed. Please find the full description of the categories on their website We have taken several steps to resume safe scanning at DISC. Please read carefully and feel free to reach out to us with questions.

1. Please find the DISC SOP in the form pages outlining protocol during a scan visit including PPE requirements for the study. We recommend reading the SOP in its entirety.
2. For every study, the PI should complete the COVID PI check list in RedCap. This is modeled based on inputs from HSD and EH&S. Link
3. We have made a participant checklist that you can send to your subject participants so that they are prepared for their visit.
4. Entry to DISC is restricted and should be discussed with DISC personnel. The DISC areas have signage and are marked to regulate personnel flow and minimize contact.
5. A new hand washing station is now available for participants and study personnel upon entry to DISC.
6. A new subject preparation room has been created closer to DISC entrance and the scanner room to reduce the patient footprint within DISC. Participants will enter scanner room through a separate entrance. Their entry in the control room is strictly prohibited.

Please let us know if you have any questions during this time. We are happy to help in any way we can.

We are open!

Mar 5, 2020

After much hard work and a long wait, we have finally upgraded to the state-of-the-art 3T Philips Ingenia Elition scanner. This recent upgrade provides D-stream digital connections that increase signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) by 10-40%. More importantly, it allows multiband functional imaging and compressed SENSE imaging that was previously unavailable at UW. The revolutionary gradient system that is unique to the Elition provides lesser distortions than the current scanner. They also allow a 20-25% increase in temporal resolution compared to its predecessors, which is of considerable advantage to BOLD fMRI studies. Diffusion scans with ultra-high b-values of 10,000-15,000 s/mm2 are achievable on the Elition allowing multi-compartment modeling studies using DTI.