Related Experiment Videos
Pediatric functional magnetic resonance imaging: progress and challenges
Russell A Poldrack1, E Juliana Paré-Blagoev, P Ellen Grant
1Massachusetts General Hospital NMR Center and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02131, USA. poldrack@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu
Insights
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in children offers insights into brain development and interventions. Addressing challenges like motion and compliance yields good quality pediatric fMRI data for advancing research.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) holds potential for understanding pediatric brain development.
- Acquiring fMRI data in children presents unique methodological challenges, including participant compliance and head motion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the methodological challenges and potential solutions for pediatric fMRI data acquisition and analysis.
- To highlight the importance of addressing these challenges for advancing research in child neurodevelopment and disorders.
Main Methods:
- Discusses strategies to improve compliance in pediatric participants, such as conditioning and personalized interaction.
- Reviews techniques for reducing motion artifacts during fMRI data acquisition in children.
- Addresses challenges in analyzing pediatric fMRI data, including spatial normalization and hemodynamic response characterization.
Main Results:
- Good quality fMRI data can be obtained from pediatric populations by employing specific strategies.
- Progress has been made in understanding cognitive function and developmental disorders using pediatric fMRI.
- Methodological advancements are crucial for continued progress in the field.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric fMRI is a valuable tool for studying brain development and interventions.
- Overcoming acquisition and analysis challenges is key to unlocking the full potential of pediatric fMRI.
- Continued research focusing on methodological issues will drive further advancements in understanding child brain function.
Abstract:
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in the pediatric population promises to provide novel insights into the nature of both normal and abnormal functional brain development as well as changes in brain function due to various interventions. Although acquisition of fMRI data from children is associated with a number of methodological challenges, primarily compliance and head motion, good quality data can be obtained. For example, conditioning and personal interactions can improve compliance, and motion reduction techniques can successfully reduce artifacts due to head motion. Analysis of pediatric fMRI data also involves challenges regarding spatial normalization and characterization of the hemodynamic response across development. Substantial progress has been made in understanding cognitive function and developmental disorders in children, but attention to the methodological issues raised in this review and continued investigations in this area are expected to result in further progress.