Original Research Subjects ’ Expectations in Neuroimaging Research

Purpose: To explore subjects ’ attitudes and expectations concerning the detection and management of incidental findings in neuroimaging research. Materials and Methods: Healthy control subjects (N 105) who previously participated in neuroimaging studies in med-ical and nonmedical settings were surveyed about their ex-pectations and attitudes toward unexpected clinical findings on their research brain scans. We hypothesized that even though the participants consented to a scanning procedure for research purposes alone, they would still expect pathol-ogy, if present, to be detected and reported to them. Results: Fifty-four percent of participants reported that they expected research scans to detect abnormalities if they existed. Nearly all subjects (90%) reported that they would want find-ings communicated to them, and many (59%) preferred this to be done by a physician affiliated with the research team. The participants responded in similar ways whether they were scanned in medical or nonmedical settings. Conclusion: Clarity about procedures for handling inci-dental findings when obtaining written and verbal informed consent is essential to ensure that the subjects ’ expecta-tions are consistent with the purpose and scope of the research. Key Words: incidental findings; neuroethics; neuroimag-ing; fMRI; informed consent; therapeutic misconceptio