MRI Exhibit

MRI myths vs. facts

As you learn about the history of MRI and the science behind it, test your knowledge to determine if the following are MRI myths or facts!

Multiple Choice

The research related to MRI was taking place at the University of Illinois long before Paul Lauterbur's first MRI imaging was produced.

• Myth

• Fact

​Fact!

Illinois was a locus of nuclear magnetic resonance, the precursor to magnetic resonance imaging and the foundational work that made MRI possible.

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For example, in 1950 Erwin Hahn first detected spin echos while a graduate student at the University of Illinois.

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Multiple Choice

The MRI scanner was developed at the University of Illinois.

• Myth

• Fact

​Myth!

The MRI scanner was developed at Stony Brook University in New York. Paul Lauterbur, who received the Nobel Prize in 2003 for inventing MRI, was located there at the time. It was also where, in 1971, Lauterbur obtained the first magnetic resonance image.

Multiple Choice

The magnetic field inside today's MRI scanners is always on.

• Myth

• Fact

​Fact!

The magnetic coils in a MRI are in a closed superconducting loop. After ramping a superconducting magnet, the current will continue to flow indefinitely through the superconductive loop.

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Former University of Illinois professor, John Bardeen, shared the Nobel Prize in Physics with William Shockley and Walter Brattain for their work involving superconductivity.​

Multiple Choice

An MRI takes photographs of various parts of the body.

• Myth

• Fact

​Myth!

The imaging technology of MRI scanners use magnetic fields, radio waves, and computers to map the radio signals emitted by different cells as they interact with the waves.

Multiple Choice

The Beckman Institute has the only two human MRI scanners on campus.

• Myth

• Fact

​Fact!

The University of Illinois is a leader in MRI technology. The Beckman Institute has the only two human MRI scanners on campus.

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Two Tesla 3 clinical scanners are housed in the basement of Beckman Institute.​

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Multiple Choice

The Tesla 7 MRI scanner, jointly owned by Carle and the Beckman Institute, is the only Tesla 7 MRI scanner in the state of Illinois.

• Myth

• Fact

​Fact!

The Tesla 7, housed at Carle Illinois Advanced Imaging Center, is continuing to foster the research partnership between the University of Illinois and Carle Health.

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Tesla ​7 MRI scanners are the highest magnetic field imaging strength commercially available in the U.S. approved by the FDA for brain and knee scans.

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Multiple Choice

The magnetic field inside an MRI scanner is so powerful it can pull metallic objects into the bore of the machine. That's why items made of metal are not allowed near an MRI.

• Myth

• Fact

Check out this video on the north screen to see just how powerful an MRI's magnetic field is.

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Fact!

Multiple Choice

MRI uses radiation to produce images of the body.

• Myth

• Fact

​Myth!

MRIs are safe and noninvasive. Radiation is not used during an MRI procedure!

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Magnetic resonance imaging was originally called nuclear magnetic resonance imaging up until the late 1970s. Doctors did not want people to mistakenly think that the procedure involved dangerous radiation, so the word "nuclear" was dropped.​

If you tag it with #Illinoismri on Twitter or Instagram, your selfie will appear on the digital sign on the north wall. Tag Beckman in your post, and we'll share them!

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Take a selfie with the first human MRI scanner!

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