Intra-session test-retest reliability of functional connectivity in infants
Yun Wang,
Walter Hinds,
Cristiane S Duarte,
Seonjoo Lee,
Catherine Monk,
Melanie Wall,
Glorisa Canino,
Ana Carolina C. Milani,
Andrea Jackowski,
Marina Griorgi Mamin,
Bernd U. Foerster,
Jay Gingrich,
Myrna M Weissman,
Bradley S. Peterson,
David Semanek,
Edna Acosta Perez,
Eduardo Labat,
Ioannisely Berrios Torres,
Ivaldo Da Silva,
Camila Parente,
Nitamar Abdala,
Jonathan Posner
Affiliations
Yun Wang
Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
Walter Hinds
Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
Cristiane S Duarte
Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
Seonjoo Lee
Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA; Mental Health Data Science, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
Catherine Monk
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
Melanie Wall
Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA; Mental Health Data Science, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
Glorisa Canino
School of Medicine, Medical Science Campus, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR, USA
Ana Carolina C. Milani
Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Andrea Jackowski
Interdisciplinary Lab for Clinical Neurosciences, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Marina Griorgi Mamin
Department of Pediatric, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Bernd U. Foerster
Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Jay Gingrich
Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
Myrna M Weissman
Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
Bradley S. Peterson
Institute for the Developing Mind, The Saban Research Institute, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, CA, USA
David Semanek
Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
Edna Acosta Perez
School of Medicine, Medical Science Campus, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR, USA
Eduardo Labat
School of Medicine, Medical Science Campus, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR, USA
Ioannisely Berrios Torres
Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA; Mental Health Data Science, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA; School of Medicine, Medical Science Campus, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil; Interdisciplinary Lab for Clinical Neurosciences, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil; Department of Pediatric, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil; Institute for the Developing Mind, The Saban Research Institute, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Gynecology, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil; Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil; Graduate School of Public Health, Medical Science Campus, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR, USA; Behavioral Science Research Insitute, Academic Deanship, Medical Science Campus, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR, USA
Ivaldo Da Silva
Department of Gynecology, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Camila Parente
Department of Gynecology, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Nitamar Abdala
Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Jonathan Posner
Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA; Corresponding author.
Resting functional MRI studies of the infant brain are increasingly becoming an important tool in developmental neuroscience. Whereas the test-retest reliability of functional connectivity (FC) measures derived from resting fMRI data have been characterized in the adult and child brain, similar assessments have not been conducted in infants. In this study, we examined the intra-session test-retest reliability of FC measures from 119 infant brain MRI scans from four neurodevelopmental studies. We investigated edge-level and subject-level reliability within one MRI session (between and within runs) measured by the Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). First, using an atlas-based approach, we examined whole-brain connectivity as well as connectivity within two common resting fMRI networks – the default mode network (DMN) and the sensorimotor network (SMN). Second, we examined the influence of run duration, study site, and scanning manufacturer (e.g., Philips and General Electric) on ICCs. Lastly, we tested spatial similarity using the Jaccard Index from networks derived from independent component analysis (ICA). Consistent with resting fMRI studies from adults, our findings indicated poor edge-level reliability (ICC = 0.14–0.18), but moderate-to-good subject-level intra-session reliability for whole-brain, DMN, and SMN connectivity (ICC = 0.40–0.78). We also found significant effects of run duration, site, and scanning manufacturer on reliability estimates. Some ICA-derived networks showed strong spatial reproducibility (e.g., DMN, SMN, and Visual Network), and were labelled based on their spatial similarity to analogous networks measured in adults. These networks were reproducibly found across different study sites. However, other ICA-networks (e.g. Executive Control Network) did not show strong spatial reproducibility, suggesting that the reliability and/or maturational course of functional connectivity may vary by network. In sum, our findings suggest that developmental scientists may be on safe ground examining the functional organization of some major neural networks (e.g. DMN and SMN), but judicious interpretation of functional connectivity is essential to its ongoing success.
