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Information for volunteers


Do you want to get involved in research, help science and learn something about yourself? Great! A new recruitment for volunteers for the Balkan war survivors project starts in May. Find out more about the project in the Války na Balkáně.


Who are we looking for?

Stress group

  • We are looking for civilians who lived at least part of the 1992-1995 war in the countries of the former Yugoslavia.
  • Descendants of persons who survived the war in the former Yugoslavia living in the Czech Republic.

Control group

  • For the control group, we are now looking for individuals between the ages of 18 and 65, both women and men.

What will you get?

  • A financial contribution to transport costs.
  • A CD with images of your brain from your magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan and a description of these images by a radiologist.
  • Results of the psychological examination.
  • As a compensation for participating in the study, you will also receive an additional 30-minute online consultation with a psychologist for you or your loved ones, independent of this research.

How is the examination performed?

  • It is a one-time examination in the neuroscience centre CEITEC MU in Brno.
  • The examination includes blood sampling, a psychological questionnaire and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the brain. An MRI is a non-invasive examination and does not use ionising radiation (it is not an X-ray).
  • The total examination time is individual, on average about 4 hours.
What prevents the examination?
  • Serious chronic diseases of the nervous system and brain.
  • Contraindications to MRI examination:
  • Presence of an MRI incompatible implant, pacemaker, defibrillator or implant that has been in the body for less than 6 weeks.
  • Claustrophobia.
  • Pregnancy (this is not a direct contraindication for an MRI scan, as a precaution, but we do not routinely examine pregnant women).

More on our MAFIL laboratory website: https://mafil.ceitec.cz/en/information-for-volunteers/

What (not) to do before the examination?

  • Eat at least 1 hour before the planned start of the examination (avoid food/drinks with high sugar and fat content, coffee, chewing gum).
  • Do not drink alcohol for at least 12 hours before the examination, ideally do not smoke (unexpected abstinence is not advisable for heavy smokers, so in these cases do not smoke for at least 1 hour before the examination).


 

How do I make an examination appointment?

Call +420 771 234 264 or email monika.fnaskova@ceitec.muni.cz or use the contact form here: Contact.

We will also answer any questions you may have at the above contacts.

How do you get to us?

The investigation is taking place at the Central European Institute of Technology of Masaryk University (CEITEC MU) in Brno, whose entrance is located on Studentská Street. You will enter the building through the main entrance and at the reception you will meet the researcher who will guide you through the whole examination.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

  • Bus stop Studentská

If you decide to use public transport, the best choice is bus 40, which will drop you off at the final stop Studentská, located just a few metres from the main entrance to CEITEC.

You can board bus 40 directly at the Zvonařka bus station. However, it is also available if you arrive at the main train station or the Grand bus station (Student Agency, Flixbus), in which case get on at the Soukenická bus stop, which is about a 5-minute walk from the train station and 10 minutes from the Grand.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1aXGWjkFXeaC3l48UpFM5B3dk3HT_PweA&usp=sharing


  • Stop Univerzitní kampus (University Campus)

Another accessible stop is the Univerzitní kapmus (University Campus), located about a 10-minute walk from CEITEC.

Trolleybus No. 25 stops here, which you can take for example from Mendlova náměstí or bus No. 61, which departs from Dolní nádraží and can be boarded at the main train station.

Brno is quite often plagued by traffic closures, if necessary, we will also arrange the most suitable means of transport to our research centre when making an appointment. Please do not hesitate to contact us for assistance.

CAR TRANSPORT

Access by car to the main entrance of the building, located on Studenstká Street, may be complicated by the lack of parking spaces. If you are not lucky enough to find a free parking space, it is possible to park in the parking lots on Akademická Street (see map), about 10 minutes on foot from the CEITEC building. Please note that if you park in the Campus square car park (by the shopping centre), you will be charged for parking after the 4th hour of parking.

If you get lost, don't despair and call +420 771 234 264, we will surely find each other.