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How much is "enough"? Considerations for functional connectivity reliability in pediatric naturalistic fMRI
Shefali Rai1,2,3,4, Kate J Godfrey1,2,3,4, Kirk Graff1,2,3,4
1Child and Adolescent Imaging Research Program, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Imaging Neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)
|August 22, 2025
Summary
Pediatric functional connectivity (FC) requires longer scan times for reliable fMRI measurements compared to adults. Children need nearly double the data duration to achieve comparable FC reliability, impacting developmental neuroimaging study design.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Brain Connectivity
Background:
- Reliable functional connectivity (FC) is crucial for neuroimaging research.
- Pediatric functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) presents challenges like head motion and short scan durations.
- FC reliability in pediatric passive viewing fMRI is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare FC reliability between children and adults using precision fMRI data.
- To investigate the impact of scan length on FC reliability in pediatric populations.
- To explore differences in FC reliability across various passive viewing conditions.
Main Methods:
- Utilized precision fMRI data from 25 pre-adolescent children and 25 adults.
- Collected over 2.8 hours of data per participant across 4 sessions.
- Analyzed FC test-retest reliability as a function of scan length and head motion.
Main Results:
- Children required significantly longer scan times (24.6 min) than adults (14.4 min) for comparable FC reliability.
- Head motion partially explained reliability differences, which were spatially non-uniform.
- Higher-motion children showed poor-to-fair reliability even with extended scan times; engagement trade-offs were observed.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric neuroimaging requires longer fMRI scan durations for robust FC measurements.
- Scan length and head motion are critical factors influencing pediatric FC reliability.
- Findings inform optimal study design for developmental neuroimaging, especially for high-motion cohorts.
