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Impact of analysis methods on the reproducibility and reliability of resting-state networks.

ABSTRACT: Though previous examinations of intrinsic resting-state networks (RSNs) in healthy populations have consistently identified several RSNs that represent connectivity patterns evoked by cognitive and sensory tasks, the effects of different analytic approaches on the reliability and reproducibility of these RSNs have yet to be fully explored. Thus, the primary aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of method (independent component analyses [ICA] vs. seed-based analyses) on RSN reproducibility (independent datasets) for ICA and reliability (independent time points) in both methods using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Good to excellent reproducibility was observed in 9 out of 10 commonly identified RSNs, indicating the robustness of these intrinsic fluctuations at the group level. Reliability analyses showed that results were dependent on three main methodological factors: (1) group versus subject-level analyses (group>subject); (2) whether data from different visits were analyzed separately or jointly with ICA (combined>separate ICA); and (3) whether ICA output was used to directly assess reliability or to inform seed-based analyses (seed-based>ICA). These results suggest that variations in the analytic technique have a significant impact on individual reliability measurements, but do not significantly affect the reproducibility or reliability of RSNs at the group level. Further investigation into the effect of the analytic technique on RSN quantification is warranted to increase the utility of RSN analyses in clinical studies.

SUBMITTER: Franco AR

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3749744 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Impact of analysis methods on the reproducibility and reliability of resting-state networks.

Franco Alexandre R AR Mannell Maggie V MV Calhoun Vince D VD Mayer Andrew R AR

Brain connectivity 20130803 4

Though previous examinations of intrinsic resting-state networks (RSNs) in healthy populations have consistently identified several RSNs that represent connectivity patterns evoked by cognitive and sensory tasks, the effects of different analytic approaches on the reliability and reproducibility of these RSNs have yet to be fully explored. Thus, the primary aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of method (independent component analyses [ICA] vs. seed-based analyses) on RSN repro ...[more]

PMID: 23705789

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Project description:ObjectivesApplication of fMRI connectivity metrics as diagnostic biomarkers at the individual level will require reliability, sensitivity and specificity to longitudinal changes in development, aging, neurocognitive, and behavioral performance and pathologies. Such metrics have not been well characterized for recent advances in BOLD acquisition.Experimental designAnalysis of multiband BOLD data from the HCP 500 Subjects Release was performed with FIX ICA and with WM, CSF and motion parameter regression. Analysis with ROIs covering the gray matter at 5 mm resolution was performed to assess functional connectivity. ROIs in key areas were used to demonstrate statistical differences between specific connections. Reproducibility of group-mean functional connectivity and for single connections for individuals was evaluated for both resting state and task acquisitions.Principal observationsSystematic differences in group-mean connectivity were demonstrated during task and rest and during different tasks, although individual differences in connectivity were maintained. Reproducibility of a single connection for a subject and across subjects for resting and task acquisition was demonstrated to be a linear function of the square root of imaging time. Randomly removing up to 50% of time points had little effect on reliability, while truncating an acquisition was associated with decreased reliability. Reliability was highest within the cortex, and lowest for deep gray nuclei, gray-white junction, and near large sulci.ConclusionsThis study found systematic differences in group-mean connectivity acquired during task and rest acquitisions and preserved individual differences in connectivity due to intrinsic differences in an individual's brain activity and structural brain architecture. We also show that longer scan times are needed to acquire data on single subjects for information on connections between specific ROIs. Longer scans may be facilitated by acquisition during task paradigms, which will systematically affect functional connectivity but may preserve individual differences in connectivity on top of task modulations.

Project description:Recent research has demonstrated the feasibility of combining functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and graph theory approaches to explore the topological attributes of human brain networks. However, the test-retest (TRT) reliability of the application of graph metrics to these networks remains to be elucidated. Here, we used resting-state fNIRS and a graph-theoretical approach to systematically address TRT reliability as it applies to various features of human brain networks, including functional connectivity, global network metrics and regional nodal centrality metrics. Eighteen subjects participated in two resting-state fNIRS scan sessions held ?20 min apart. Functional brain networks were constructed for each subject by computing temporal correlations on three types of hemoglobin concentration information (HbO, HbR, and HbT). This was followed by a graph-theoretical analysis, and then an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was further applied to quantify the TRT reliability of each network metric. We observed that a large proportion of resting-state functional connections (?90%) exhibited good reliability (0.6< ICC <0.74). For global and nodal measures, reliability was generally threshold-sensitive and varied among both network metrics and hemoglobin concentration signals. Specifically, the majority of global metrics exhibited fair to excellent reliability, with notably higher ICC values for the clustering coefficient (HbO: 0.76; HbR: 0.78; HbT: 0.53) and global efficiency (HbO: 0.76; HbR: 0.70; HbT: 0.78). Similarly, both nodal degree and efficiency measures also showed fair to excellent reliability across nodes (degree: 0.52?0.84; efficiency: 0.50?0.84); reliability was concordant across HbO, HbR and HbT and was significantly higher than that of nodal betweenness (0.28?0.68). Together, our results suggest that most graph-theoretical network metrics derived from fNIRS are TRT reliable and can be used effectively for brain network research. This study also provides important guidance on the choice of network metrics of interest for future applied research in developmental and clinical neuroscience.

Dataset Information

Impact of analysis methods on the reproducibility and reliability of resting-state networks.

Publications

Impact of analysis methods on the reproducibility and reliability of resting-state networks.

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