Children's head motion during fMRI tasks is heritable and stable over time

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Genetics
• Pediatric Imaging

Background:

• Head motion in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) degrades data quality.
• Motion is a heritable phenotype in adults, potentially influencing other genetically influenced traits.
• The heritability and influencing factors of head motion in children require investigation for reliable pediatric neuroimaging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the factors influencing head motion in children during fMRI scans.
• To determine if head motion in children is a heritable trait.
• To assess the impact of age, ADHD symptoms, task type, and session parameters on head motion in pediatric fMRI.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of head motion data from a population-based twin sample (N=73, ages 7-12) and a case-control sample of readers (N=110, ages 8-11).
• Examination of relationships between head motion and age, ADHD symptoms, task type, run length, and session length.
• Assessment of twin pair concordance (monozygotic vs. dizygotic) and cross-session test-retest reliability for head motion.

Main Results:

• Age was significantly associated with head motion, while ADHD symptoms were not.
• Head motion varied significantly based on task type, run length, and session length.
• High concordance for head motion was observed in monozygotic twins, moderate in dizygotic twins, and high test-retest reliability across sessions.

Conclusions:

• Childhood head motion during fMRI is a genetically influenced trait, similar to findings in adults.
• Head motion can systematically impact individual differences in brain activity (BOLD signals) in pediatric populations.
• These findings highlight the need for best practices in pediatric neuroimaging to account for genetically influenced motion patterns.