If you are scanned as part of a research study, unless the person conducting your study has elected otherwise, your MRI scans will have your personally identifying information removed and then will be sent for long-term storage in DISC’s secure database. Your data will be labeled with a coded research identifier, not traceable back to you, to protect your identity.
The researchers conducting your specific study will be responsible for deciding whether your data will be used for future research, how it will be shared, and in ways it can be used. These decisions are made in accordance with their agreements with their respective Institutional Review Boards and with the informed consent of participants like you. Should your data be shared with other researchers, all links to your identity will be removed from the data beforehand. Only de-identified data is stored and shared for further research.
Most scans performed in healthy human research subjects are without significant abnormalities. Rarely, something abnormal may be present, and this is called an incidental finding. If you are a research subject scanned at the DISC, your scan may be reviewed for incidental findings if the terms of your study specifically require it, but this will not happen until several days after your scan. Your research coordinator can provide you with additional information.
