Does motion-related brain functional connectivity reflect both artifacts and genuine neural activity?

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Brain Connectivity

Background:

• Functional connectivity (FC) imaging is crucial for understanding brain organization.
• Head motion during imaging can introduce significant artifacts, complicating FC interpretation.
• Quantifying motion's influence on FC is vital for reliable research findings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To map the impact of head motion on functional connectivity across diverse populations.
• To differentiate between motion-induced artifacts and genuine neural activity related to motion.
• To evaluate methods for correcting motion-related effects in FC data.

Main Methods:

• Voxel-wise correlation mapping of head motion and FC degree.
• Analysis across six populations: young adults, children, older adults, and individuals with Down, Prader-Willi, and Williams syndromes.
• Group-level regression analysis to remove motion effects.

Main Results:

• In compliant adults, motion correlated with FC in sensorimotor, visual, and default mode networks, suggesting neural activity.
• In populations with higher motion, widespread artifacts were observed with distinct spatial patterns.
• Regression analysis effectively reduced both generalized and putatively neural motion-related changes.

Conclusions:

• A straightforward method effectively maps distinct head motion effects on functional connectivity.
• Findings support the hypothesis that some motion-related changes in FC may reflect system-specific neural activity.
• Accurate motion correction is essential for robust interpretation of brain imaging studies.