The influence of physiological noise correction on test-retest reliability of resting-state functional connectivity. Brain Connect 2014 Sep;4(7):511-22
Date
08/13/2014Pubmed ID
25112809Pubmed Central ID
PMC4146390DOI
10.1089/brain.2014.0284Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85006265389 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 65 CitationsAbstract
The utility and success of resting-state functional connectivity MRI (rs-fcMRI) depend critically on the reliability of this technique and the extent to which it accurately reflects neuronal function. One challenge is that rs-fcMRI is influenced by various sources of noise, particularly cardiac- and respiratory-related signal variations. The goal of the current study was to evaluate the impact of various physiological noise correction techniques, specifically those that use independent cardiac and respiration measures, on the test-retest reliability of rs-fcMRI. A group of 25 subjects were each scanned at three time points--two within the same imaging session and another 2-3 months later. Physiological noise corrections accounted for significant variance, particularly in blood vessels, sagittal sinus, cerebrospinal fluid, and gray matter. The fraction of variance explained by each of these corrections was highly similar within subjects between sessions, but variable between subjects. Physiological corrections generally reduced intrasubject (between-session) variability, but also significantly reduced intersubject variability, and thus reduced the test-retest reliability of estimating individual differences in functional connectivity. However, based on known nonneuronal mechanisms by which cardiac pulsation and respiration can lead to MRI signal changes, and the observation that the physiological noise itself is highly stable within individuals, removal of this noise will likely increase the validity of measured connectivity differences. Furthermore, removal of these fluctuations will lead to better estimates of average or group maps of connectivity. It is therefore recommended that studies apply physiological noise corrections but also be mindful of potential correlations with measures of interest.
Author List
Birn RM, Cornejo MD, Molloy EK, Patriat R, Meier TB, Kirk GR, Nair VA, Meyerand ME, Prabhakaran VAuthor
Timothy B. Meier PhD Associate Professor in the Neurosurgery department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdultArtifacts
Brain
Brain Mapping
Female
Hemodynamics
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Reproducibility of Results
Respiration
