A multimodal IVA fusion approach to identify linked neuroimaging markers

In this study, we introduce a method to perform independent vector analysis (IVA) fusion to estimate linked independent sources and apply to a large multimodal dataset of over 3000 subjects in the UK Biobank study, including structural (gray matter), diffusion (fractional anisotropy), and functional (amplitude of low frequency fluctuations) magnetic resonance imaging data from each subject. The approach reveals a number of linked sources showing significant and meaningful covariation with subject phenotypes. One such mode shows significant linear association with age across all three modalities. Robust age-associated reductions in gray matter density were observed in thalamus, caudate, and insular regions, as well as visual and cingulate regions, with covarying reductions of fractional anisotropy in the periventricular region, in addition to reductions in amplitude of low frequency fluctuations in visual and parietal regions. Another mode identified multimodal patterns that differentiated subjects in their time-to-recall during a prospective memory test. In sum, the proposed IVA-based approach provides a flexible, interpretable, and powerful approach for revealing links between multimodal neuroimaging data.