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A Temporal Instability Measure for fMRI Quality Assurance
Tim Schmidt1,2, Zoltán Nagy1
1Laboratory for Social and Neural Systems Research, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging : JMRI
|May 4, 2023
Summary
A new temporal instability measure (TIM) offers a practical solution for assessing fMRI scanner stability. This method is reliable and widely applicable, overcoming limitations of existing quality assurance tools for fMRI experiments.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Medical Physics
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Existing fMRI quality assurance measures for scanner stability have practical or theoretical limitations.
- A need exists for a more practical and reliable instability measure for fMRI.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a sensitive, reliable, and broadly applicable temporal instability measure (TIM).
- To enhance fMRI quality assurance protocols.
Main Methods:
- Developed a novel TIM based on the eigenratio of the correlation coefficient matrix of fMRI time-series.
- Utilized nonparametric bootstrap resampling to estimate confidence intervals and assess TIM sensitivity.
- Analyzed 149 fMRI datasets across different scanners and head coils (Philips, GE, Siemens).
Main Results:
- The TIM demonstrated a wide range of values across experiments, indicating sensitivity to instability.
- Bootstrap analysis confirmed the reliability of TIM confidence intervals.
- Multichannel coils (32ch) generally provided more stable measurements compared to lower-channel coils (8ch).
Conclusions:
- The proposed TIM is a valuable tool for fMRI quality assurance, particularly for multichannel coils.
- TIM overcomes limitations of other measures, offering a reliable method to assess fMRI scanner stability.
- This measure supports robust and reproducible fMRI data acquisition.
