Shorter TR combined with finer atlas positively modulate topological organization of brain network: A resting state fMRI study

The use of shorter TR and finer atlases in rs-fMRI can provide greater detail on brain function and anatomy. However, there is limited understanding of the effect of this combination on brain network properties.

A study was conducted with 20 healthy young volunteers who underwent rs-fMRI scans with both shorter (0.5s) and long (2s) TR. Two atlases with different degrees of granularity (90 vs 200 regions) were used to extract rs-fMRI signals. Several network metrics, including small-worldness, Cp, Lp, Eloc, and Eg, were calculated. Two-factor ANOVA and two-sample t-tests were conducted for both the single spectrum and five sub-frequency bands.

The network constructed using the combination of shorter TR and finer atlas showed significant enhancements in Cp, Eloc, and Eg, as well as reductions in Lp and γ in both the single spectrum and subspectrum (p < 0.05, Bonferroni correction). Network properties in the 0.082-0.1 Hz frequency range were weaker than those in the 0.01-0.082 Hz range.

Our findings suggest that the use of shorter TR and finer atlas can positively affect the topological characteristics of brain networks. These insights can inform the development of brain network construction methods.