Note: This study is currently only recruiting patients in the hospital.
If you are interested in being notified if this study begins recruiting from the general population, please use the 'I Am Interested' button below.
SHINE (Sarcopenia and Health Imaging using Novel MRI Experiments)
Enrollment for this study is expected to close on Thursday, January 22, 2026
Overview
What we are studying
We are investigating new ways to study structure and function in the human musculoskeletal system and surrounding tissues, such as peripheral nerves and arteries.
Why it is important
This research is being performed to validate magnetic resonance imaging biomarkers that may be used to characterize musculoskeletal function.
What we hope to accomplish
This research is being conducted to improve and validate techniques for magnetic resonance imaging of the human musculoskeletal system.
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Principal Investigator
Contact
Click I Am Interested "I Am Interested" "I Am Interested" to get started. If you have questions, contact:
Karan Singh
Postdoc Researcher
Who can participate
We are seeking volunteers between the ages of 65 and 85 who are willing to have their legs imaged in an MRI and also perform muscle activation tasks, including but not necessarily limited to squeezing a device, pressing a device with their leg, walking, standing still, and standing up from a chair and sitting down again.
Healthy Volunteers
Healthy volunteers are eligible for this study
Who cannot participate
Study subjects may not be under 65, have any metallic or magnetic material in their bodies, have electrical devices in their bodies, medical conditions that make MRIs challenging such as claustrophobia or a history of seizures, or greater than normal potential for cardiac arrest.
What you may be asked to do
Participants may be asked to have their leg scanned in an MRI and to do muscle activation activites, including but not necessarily limited to squeezing a device, pressing a device with their leg, walking, standing still, and standing up from a chair and sitting down again, during the same visit. The MRI session will take 1-2 hours and the muscle activation session will take approximately another hour, for 3 hours in total. Participants will also be asked to fill out electronic questionnaires about their muscle function.
Project activities may include:
- Personal health tracking
- MRI scan
Estimated Time Commitment
3 hours over 1 session
What You May Get
Compensation of $100.00 will be offered for participation in this study as well as free one-day parking at the parking garage at building 199 on 5th Avenue. In addition, we will offer a maximum $20 reimbursement for transportation, contingent upon study participants providing receipts demonstrating the same transit date as the study visit date. If participants drive from home, we pay $0.67/mile based on distance calculated with Google Maps from their home address to Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (for a maximum reimbursement of $20). We will also be offering a meal voucher worth $10 to be utilized at Eat Street Café in the same building where the scan will take place.
Location
Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging
149 13th Street, Charlestown Navy Yard, Boston, 02129.
Travel
- Accessible by public transportation
- Parking available
- Parking reimbursed
Travel and Parking Details
There is a large parking garage next to our center at building 199 on 5th Avenue. Participants will take a normal ticket from a machine at the entrance, and then be provided with a parking pass by the study staff to pay for the parking.
Additional Information
Funding Source
- NIH or Other Federal