Doctors would need to order the test in furtherance of treatment of symptomatic behavior much like they currently do. The GNS, if it can perform similarly to the Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), would offer the best option, based on its current research. The fMRI has emerged as the most prominent neuroimaging technology over the last two decades (American Psychological Association, 2014). The fMRI tracks changes in blood flow and oxygen levels to indicate neural activity and provide functional mapping. The needs of children, especially under 8, are different than adults in many ways. For this reason, any GNS brain scans of children would require a gentle, relaxed and informed approach. Children are already used widely for non-clinical fMRI and their research is very informative. When properly instructed, children do well in the fMRI, which like a conventional MRI requires that they remain still during testing. The fMRI is the most promising and broadly used imaging technology that is also safe for use in pediatric populations (Thomason, 2009). Radiation is not …show more content…
Depending on the region, an fMRI can cost on average $1,000 without insurance (Thomason, 2009). Ordering an fMRI or GNS for a legitimate need on an individual basis is certainly much cheaper than scanning every person before the second grade. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that just under four million infants were born in the United States in 2010 (as stated in Thomason, 2009). That number of births is approximately the same number of brain scans that the government would be ordering every year under the mandated proposal of