Would you let your baby have an MRI scan for research purposes?

[Adair]

Have been asked by Babylab (Birkbeck) if i would consider ds3 (5mths) to be part of a longitudinal study comparing babies with older children with and without autism. The results obviously help understand more about autism.

The studies are mostly observational or the head-net which is fine as the other two had them before and they were quite fun. But they would like to do an MRI scan while he is asleep - each bit takes 5mins, and would continue while he stayed asleep (good luck - he mostly sleeps on me!)

WWYD?

I would say yes, purely because I know how valuable this research can be and I like to think that some of the advances in medicine that have been made to keep members of my family alive happened because others volunteered so we know more about the body. BUT, I totally understand why you'd be wary.

The MRI is safe, he's only having one and then (touch wood!) not ever needing to have another.

So, I would say yes but understand why people say no!

Well, I have said yes on the phone, for the reasons you said.

But then i wondered if I was being reckless, and what other people would do. So glad you agree!

I would have done it too, when the DCs were tiny, for exactly the reasons PotteringAlong gives.

I would do it.

I am a regular in these sorts of studies and would hapily let my kids do them too.

I would say yes to an MRI because it's safe (no radiation), but if he became very distressed by the noise or anything I wouldn't continue.
I would not do it if sedation was needed.

Won't the noise and the cold wake him up though? I've done loads of stuff at Babylab, but have always drawn the line at MRIs.

An MRI isn't dangerous, they would have to sedate him though as he would need to be very still.

Sorry, I wouldn't. But I am very cautious about health issues. I would not be certain it was 100% safe, especially for a baby. I wouldn't have an MRI scan myself unless absolutely necessary.

No, particularly not if he had to be sedated. I'm happy to take part in such things myself (I once let a dietician demonstrate putting a feeding tube down the nose - all the way into my stomach - on me as part of a paper she was presenting. But I wouldn't do it with my child.