Policies and Procedures

Policies and Procedures Manual

These documents comprise the official policies and procedures for the MEG lab.

• MEG Core Mission / Vision Statement

MISSION STATEMENT

The Magnetoencephalography (MEG) Core Facility is a multi-user facility dedicated to providing resources for use by NIH Institutes and the Clinical Center. The mission of the MEG Core Facility is to provide all necessary support for Principal Investigators (PI) conducting research to successfully design and implement an MEG based project. This will usually include detailed experimental design discussion, software and hardware design and testing, training in data collection and system instruction, signal processing and data analysis.

VISION STATEMENT

The MEG Core Facility is dedicated to offering and providing state-of-the-art services. We will maintain excellence in the performance of magnetoencephalography research and will be recognized as a preeminent center for the performance of biomedical imaging research.

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Operations(1.00)

Hours of Operation

National Institute of Mental Health

Subject: MEG Core Facility Hours of Operation Policy No. 1.00	Date: 1/03 Revised 9/03; 6/06; 7/07; 10/08; 8/09; 1/12; 1/14; 1/15
Recommended By: MEG Core Facility Staff	Distribution: MEG Core Facility

Policy: The MEG Core Facility hours of operation are from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday.

1) Normal hours of operations 9:00-5:00 pm Monday - Friday. The MEG Core Facility staff will be available to assist users during normal hours of operation.

2) Users may schedule scans for after hours provided they have received training and are capable of operating MEG equipment in accordance with MEG policies and procedures.
After hours use authorization must be obtained from MEG Core staff.

Laboratory Access

National Institute of Mental Health

Subject: MEG Core Facility Laboratory Access Policy No. 1.05	Date: 1/03 Revised 9/03; 6/06; 7/07; 10/08; 1/12; 1/14; 1/15; 2/18
Recommended By: MEG Core Facility Staff	Distribution: MEG Core Facility

Policy: The MEG Lab keyless entry system will be utilized for MEG lab access before, during or after normal lab hours.

1) MEG Users will be given the MEG Lab keyless entry code during the MEG Orientation Training class.

2) During Normal Hours of Operations- the MEG Lab may or may not be locked, however, if locked access may be gained / the door can be unlocked by using the access code.

3) After Normal Hours of Operations and on the weekends- the MEG Lab will be locked, however, access can be gained by using the keyless entry system.

4) All equipment, except for all computers (acquisition and workstation), must be powered off upon departure.

5) It will be the responsibility of the user to make sure the lab is locked upon departure.

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Scheduling (2.00)

Scheduling

National Institute of Mental Health

Subject: MEG Core Facility Scheduling Procedures Policy No. 2.00	Date: 1/03 Revised 9/03; 6/06; 7/07; 10/08; 1/12; 1/14; 1/15; 2/18
Recommended By: MEG Core Facility Staff	Distribution: MEG Core Facility

Policy: MEG scan time will be requested and scheduled electronically via the web-based calendar at: http://kurage.nimh.nih.gov/cal/. Scan time will be scheduled on a first-come -first served basis. All requests must be approved before going "live" on the public calendar. All unapproved time requests will appear in red. When a MEG schedule notification is received, an MEG administrator will be responsible for approving or denying the request. Users will auto matically receive an email message notifying them when their time has been approved.

Procedure:

I. Requesting Time -

1. Click on Login location near the bottom of the MEG Schedule/Calendar

2. Enter “Username” and “Password”;

3. Click on Login;

4. On the calendar - Click on the  at the day and time desired;

5. Enter the “Add Entry” form information –

a. Investigator’s Name - enter the last name of the PI / last name of the person who is going to run the scan (acquisition computer). For example - BERMAN / J. Mitchell. In this case Dr. Berman is the PI and Judy Mitchell is running the scan.

b. Description of experiment – provide a simple description

c. Comments - Use this field to enter any private comments, subject name / phone number or MIS number. Information in this box will not appear on the published calendar. Important: ::::This box is for confidential information.

d. Sensor position – Sitting or Supine

e. EEG electrodes – indicate whether EEG, EOG, EMG electrodes will be used

f. Date

g. Time

h. Duration – indicate how much time needed to complete your study. Please allow enough time for any possible delays (set up / prep time, subject late, equipment malfunction, etc.)

i. Hold approval – only use holds if your subject needs to get back with you to confirm the appointment. Appointments can only be held for 2-3 days.

j. Participants – DO NOT ALTER THIS FIELD (should always be admin for MEG staff who are doing the scheduling)

k. Repeat Type – if a recurring appointment enter here; however, check with Staff Scientist before scheduling any repeats!

l. Repeat End Date – *for recurring appointments only

m. Repeat Day (weekly) *for recurring appointments only

n. Frequency – for recurring appointments only

6. Click on “Save”.

II. To Edit or Cancel an Appointment –

a. Click on the login;

b. Enter User Name and Password;

c. Click on the entry to be changed (at the point where it gives the little popup detail description);

d. Click on option: Edit entry, Delete entry, Add to My Calendar, etc.

*Please note: you must be the owner to be able to edit or delete an entry in the schedule.

III. To Refresh the Calendar –

1. Click on My Calendar.

Facility Access Requests

National Institute of Mental Health

Subject: MEG Core Facility Facility Access Requests Policy No. 2.01	Date: 3/03 Revised 9/03; 6/06; 7/07; 10/08; 1/12; 1/14; 1/15; 2/18
Recommended By: MEG Core Facility Staff	Distribution: MEG Core Facility

Policy: Each MEG user who wants to schedule MEG subjects must filled out and electronically submit the MEG Facility Access Request Form (FAF). The Facility Access user account will allow the MEG user to: 1) schedule MEG scans via the MEG Lab scheduling calendar and, 2) access MEG data. The MEG Core Facility website administrator will be responsible for approving and maintaining all facility access requests.

Procedure:

1. A Facility Access Request (FAF) must be submitted electronically to become a MEG Lab user. The form may be accessed via the MEG Lab website at: http://kurage.nimh.nih.gov/meglab under User Information  Becoming a User.

2. All the requested information must be provided, such as the protocol #, PI’s last name and the name of the person who be in the MEG Lab running the study. In addition, we must have a cell phone number so that we can contact you in an "emergency".

3. The username will be the user’s last name as entered on the Facility Access Form (FAF).

4. When a Facility Access Request Form is received the accounts administrator will assign an account and issue a temporary password.

5. An email notification of the account name and temporary password will be sent to each applicant.

6. User accounts may not be shared.

User / Subject Guidelines (3.00)

MEG / EEG (4.00)

Magnetically Shielded Room (MSR) & Subject Support (5.00)

Stimulus / Response / Monitoring Equipment (6.00)

Data Acquisition / Data Analysis (7.00)

Infection Prevention / Control (9.00)

Quality Assurance / Risk Management (10.00)

Training & Education (11.00)

Compliance (12.00)

Quality Assurance Manual

This manual contains information on the MEG Core Facility Quality Assurance - Quality Improvement / Risk Management Program. These programs monitor and evaluate the quality of services provided in order to pursue opportunities for improvement. This manual is currently under development.

Tutorials

Here is some tutorial documentation that has been compiled as a complement to the information available on the website. Some of the topics are covered in more depth in these manuals, although the information on the website may be more current.

    MEG Data Acquisition Tutorial (last updated 8/22/03), update coming soon)
    MEG Data Acquisition Tutorial (last updated 8/22/03), update coming soon)

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    MEG Data Analysis Tutorial (last updated 8/13/03, update coming soon)
    MEG Data Analysis Tutorial (last updated 8/13/03, update coming soon)

How To Instructions

These are instructions or handouts which cover various different topics pertinent to the performance of MEG scans and/or data analysis.

*   MEG Fiducial Placement Instructions
*   MEG Fiducial Placement Instructions

Octave Class

Tom gave a short tutorial on switching from Matlab to Octave. Here are the class notes: Octave class (MS PowerPoint Presentation) This reflects versions 2.9.10 of Octave. Also, here are two sample scripts:

*   anything.m
*   mkmesh.m

Miscellaneous Documentation

• SensLayout-275 — a color picture showing the sensor names and relative locations (ps).
• SensLayout-275 - a color picture showing the sensor names and relative locations (pdf).