Development and evaluation of a MRI-compatible tactile orientation stimulator

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is one of the most recently developed forms of neuroimaging, uses MRI to measure the haemodynamic response related to neural activity. In the present study, we developed a tactile orientation stimulator using under high magnetic environment. The device is MRI-compatible and can serve to investigate the underlying neural mechanisms of tactile orientation cognition and discrimination. The primary components of the tactile orientation presentation system include a computer (system control), seven tactile orientation domes, two ultrasonic motors (tactile stimuli presentation), a motor controller and a reaction key. We evaluated the function, precision and performance of the system in a magnetic field. The results showed that the device performance is unaffected by the magnetic field, nor does the device interfere with the magnetic field, making it usable with fMRI. Furthermore, a simple button press fMRI experiment was conducted using the system. Compared to the baseline, the most prominent activation areas evoked by the button press task were in the primary motor area on the right precentral gyrus, bilateral medial frontal gyrus, putamen and cerebellum. In summary, these results indicated that the brain activation can be reliably detected with the present device.