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Reproducibility of the Structural Brain Connectome Derived from Diffusion Tensor Imaging.

ABSTRACT: Disruptions of brain anatomical connectivity are believed to play a central role in several neurological and psychiatric illnesses. The structural brain connectome is typically derived from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), which may be influenced by methodological factors related to signal processing, MRI scanners and biophysical properties of neuroanatomical regions. In this study, we evaluated how these variables affect the reproducibility of the structural connectome.Twenty healthy adults underwent 3 MRI scanning sessions (twice in the same MRI scanner and a third time in a different scanner unit) within a short period of time. The scanning sessions included similar T1 weighted and DTI sequences. Deterministic or probabilistic tractography was performed to assess link weight based on the number of fibers connecting gray matter regions of interest (ROI). Link weight and graph theory network measures were calculated and reproducibility was assessed through intra-class correlation coefficients, assuming each scanning session as a rater.Connectome reproducibility was higher with data from the same scanner. The probabilistic approach yielded larger reproducibility, while the individual variation in the number of tracked fibers from deterministic tractography was negatively associated with reproducibility. Links connecting larger and anatomically closer ROIs demonstrated higher reproducibility. In general, graph theory measures demonstrated high reproducibility across scanning sessions.Anatomical factors and tractography approaches can influence the reproducibility of the structural connectome and should be factored in the interpretation of future studies. Our results demonstrate that connectome mapping is a largely reproducible technique, particularly as it relates to the geometry of network architecture measured by graph theory methods.

SUBMITTER: Bonilha L

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4557836 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Reproducibility of the Structural Brain Connectome Derived from Diffusion Tensor Imaging.

Bonilha Leonardo L Gleichgerrcht Ezequiel E Fridriksson Julius J Rorden Chris C Breedlove Jesse L JL Nesland Travis T Paulus Walter W Helms Gunther G Focke Niels K NK

PloS one 20150902 8

<h4>Rationale</h4>Disruptions of brain anatomical connectivity are believed to play a central role in several neurological and psychiatric illnesses. The structural brain connectome is typically derived from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), which may be influenced by methodological factors related to signal processing, MRI scanners and biophysical properties of neuroanatomical regions. In this study, we evaluated how these variables affect the reproducibility of the structural connectome.<h4>Meth ...[more]

PMID: 26332788

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Project description:BackgroundMulti-site MRI studies are often necessary for recruiting sufficiently sized samples when studying rare conditions. However, they require pooling data from multiple scanners into a single data set, and therefore it is critical to evaluate the variability of quantitative MRI measures within and across scanners used in multi-site studies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reproducibility of structural and diffusion weighted (DW) MRI measurements acquired on seven scanners at five medical centers as part of the Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Autism Center of Excellence Research Network (TACERN) multisite study.MethodsThe American College of Radiology (ACR) phantom was imaged monthly to measure reproducibility of signal intensity and uniformity within and across seven 3T scanners from General Electric, Philips, and Siemens vendors. One healthy adult male volunteer was imaged repeatedly on all seven scanners under the TACERN structural and DW protocol (5 b = 0 s/mm2 and 30 b = 1000 s/mm2) over a period of 5 years (age 22-27 years). Reproducibility of inter- and intra-scanner brain segmentation volumes and diffusion tensor imaging metrics fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) within white matter regions was quantified with coefficient of variation.ResultsThe American College of Radiology Phantom signal intensity and uniformity were similar across scanners and changed little over time, with a mean intra-scanner coefficient of variation of 3.6 and 1.8%, respectively. The mean inter- and intra-scanner coefficients of variation of brain structure volumes derived from T1-weighted (T1w) images of the human phantom were 3.3 and 1.1%, respectively. The mean inter- and intra-scanner coefficients of variation of FA in white matter regions were 4.5 and 2.5%, while the mean inter- and intra-scanner coefficients of variation of MD in white matter regions were 5.4 and 1.5%.ConclusionOur results suggest that volumetric and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measurements are highly reproducible between and within scanners and provide typical variation amplitudes that can be used as references to interpret future findings in the TACERN network.

Dataset Information

Reproducibility of the Structural Brain Connectome Derived from Diffusion Tensor Imaging.

Publications

Reproducibility of the Structural Brain Connectome Derived from Diffusion Tensor Imaging.

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