Cognitive effects of head-movements in stray fields generated by a 7 Tesla whole-body MRI magnet

The study investigates the impact of exposure to the stray magnetic field of a whole‐body 7 T MRI scanner on neurobehavioral performance and cognition. Twenty seven volunteers completed four sessions, which exposed them to ∼1600 mT (twice), 800 mT and negligible static field exposure. The order of exposure was assigned at random and was masked by placing volunteers in a tent to hide their position relative to the magnet bore. Volunteers completed a test battery assessing auditory working memory, eye–hand co‐ordination, and visual perception. During three sessions the volunteers were instructed to complete a series of standardized head movements to generate additional time‐varying fields (∼300 and ∼150 mT·s−1 r.m.s.). In one session, volunteers were instructed to keep their heads as stable as possible. Performance on a visual tracking task was negatively influenced (P