On the validity of fMRI mega-analyses using data processed with different pipelines

In neuroimaging and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), many derived data are made openly available in public databases. These can be re-used to increase sample sizes in studies and thus, improve robustness. In fMRI studies, raw data are first preprocessed using a given analysis pipeline to obtain subject-level contrast maps, which are then combined into a group analysis. Typically, the subject-level analysis pipeline is identical for all participants. However, derived data shared on public databases often come from different workflows, which can lead to different results. Here, we investigate how this analytical variability, if not accounted for, can induce false positive detections in mega-analyses combining subject-level contrast maps processed with different pipelines. We use the Human Connectome Project (HCP) multi-pipeline dataset, containing contrast maps for N = 1,080 participants of the HCP Young-Adult dataset, whose raw data were processed and analyzed with 24 different pipelines. We performed between-groups analyses with contrast maps from different pipelines in each group and estimated the rates of pipeline-induced detections. We show that, if not accounted for, analytical variability can lead to inflated false positive rates in studies combining data from different pipelines.