Lifespan Volume Trajectories From Non–harmonized T1–Weighted MRI Do Not Differ After Site Correction Based on Traveling Human Phantoms
Multi–site imaging consortiums strive to increase participant numbers by pooling data across sites, but scanner related differences can bias results. This study combines data from three research MRI centers, including three different scanner models from two vendors, to examine non–harmonized T1–weig...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Neurology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2022.826564/full |
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| author | Sarah Treit Emily Stolz Julia N. Rickard Cheryl R. McCreary Mercedes Bagshawe Richard Frayne Catherine Lebel Derek Emery Christian Beaulieu |
| author_facet | Sarah Treit Emily Stolz Julia N. Rickard Cheryl R. McCreary Mercedes Bagshawe Richard Frayne Catherine Lebel Derek Emery Christian Beaulieu |
| author_sort | Sarah Treit |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Multi–site imaging consortiums strive to increase participant numbers by pooling data across sites, but scanner related differences can bias results. This study combines data from three research MRI centers, including three different scanner models from two vendors, to examine non–harmonized T1–weighted brain imaging protocols in two cohorts. First, 23 human traveling phantoms were scanned twice each at all three sites (six scans per person; 138 scans total) to quantify within–participant variability of brain volumes (total brain, white matter, gray matter, lateral ventricles, thalamus, caudate, putamen and globus pallidus), and to calculate site–specific correction factors for each structure. Sample size calculations were used to determine the number of traveling phantoms needed to achieve effect sizes for observed differences to help guide future studies. Next, cross–sectional lifespan volume trajectories were examined in 856 healthy participants (5—91 years of age) scanned at these sites. Cross–sectional trajectories of volume versus age for each structure were then compared before and after application of traveling phantom based site–specific correction factors, as well as correction using the open–source method ComBat. Although small systematic differences between sites were observed in the traveling phantom analysis, correction for site using either method had little impact on the lifespan trajectories. Only white matter had small but significant differences in the intercept parameter after ComBat correction (but not traveling phantom based correction), while no other fits differed. This suggests that age–related changes over the lifespan outweigh systematic differences between scanners for volumetric analysis. This work will help guide pooling of multisite datasets as well as meta–analyses of data from non–harmonized protocols. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T08:24:14Z |
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| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T08:24:14Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Neurology |
| spelling | doaj.art-1832592d390345188fb3d9b64b68683f2022-12-22T02:54:31ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neurology1664-22952022-05-011310.3389/fneur.2022.826564826564Lifespan Volume Trajectories From Non–harmonized T1–Weighted MRI Do Not Differ After Site Correction Based on Traveling Human PhantomsSarah Treit0Emily Stolz1Julia N. Rickard2Cheryl R. McCreary3Mercedes Bagshawe4Richard Frayne5Catherine Lebel6Derek Emery7Christian Beaulieu8Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, CanadaDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, CanadaDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, CanadaDepartments of Radiology and Clinical Neurosciences, Foothills Medical Centre, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, CanadaDepartment of Radiology, Alberta Children's Hospital, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, CanadaDepartments of Radiology and Clinical Neurosciences, Foothills Medical Centre, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, CanadaDepartment of Radiology, Alberta Children's Hospital, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, CanadaDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, CanadaDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, CanadaMulti–site imaging consortiums strive to increase participant numbers by pooling data across sites, but scanner related differences can bias results. This study combines data from three research MRI centers, including three different scanner models from two vendors, to examine non–harmonized T1–weighted brain imaging protocols in two cohorts. First, 23 human traveling phantoms were scanned twice each at all three sites (six scans per person; 138 scans total) to quantify within–participant variability of brain volumes (total brain, white matter, gray matter, lateral ventricles, thalamus, caudate, putamen and globus pallidus), and to calculate site–specific correction factors for each structure. Sample size calculations were used to determine the number of traveling phantoms needed to achieve effect sizes for observed differences to help guide future studies. Next, cross–sectional lifespan volume trajectories were examined in 856 healthy participants (5—91 years of age) scanned at these sites. Cross–sectional trajectories of volume versus age for each structure were then compared before and after application of traveling phantom based site–specific correction factors, as well as correction using the open–source method ComBat. Although small systematic differences between sites were observed in the traveling phantom analysis, correction for site using either method had little impact on the lifespan trajectories. Only white matter had small but significant differences in the intercept parameter after ComBat correction (but not traveling phantom based correction), while no other fits differed. This suggests that age–related changes over the lifespan outweigh systematic differences between scanners for volumetric analysis. This work will help guide pooling of multisite datasets as well as meta–analyses of data from non–harmonized protocols.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2022.826564/fullbrain volumemulti–siteMRIdata harmonizationwithin–subject reliabilityreproducibility |
| spellingShingle | Sarah Treit Emily Stolz Julia N. Rickard Cheryl R. McCreary Mercedes Bagshawe Richard Frayne Catherine Lebel Derek Emery Christian Beaulieu Lifespan Volume Trajectories From Non–harmonized T1–Weighted MRI Do Not Differ After Site Correction Based on Traveling Human Phantoms Frontiers in Neurology brain volume multi–site MRI data harmonization within–subject reliability reproducibility |
| title | Lifespan Volume Trajectories From Non–harmonized T1–Weighted MRI Do Not Differ After Site Correction Based on Traveling Human Phantoms |
| title_full | Lifespan Volume Trajectories From Non–harmonized T1–Weighted MRI Do Not Differ After Site Correction Based on Traveling Human Phantoms |
| title_fullStr | Lifespan Volume Trajectories From Non–harmonized T1–Weighted MRI Do Not Differ After Site Correction Based on Traveling Human Phantoms |
| title_full_unstemmed | Lifespan Volume Trajectories From Non–harmonized T1–Weighted MRI Do Not Differ After Site Correction Based on Traveling Human Phantoms |
| title_short | Lifespan Volume Trajectories From Non–harmonized T1–Weighted MRI Do Not Differ After Site Correction Based on Traveling Human Phantoms |
| title_sort | lifespan volume trajectories from non harmonized t1 weighted mri do not differ after site correction based on traveling human phantoms |
| topic | brain volume multi–site MRI data harmonization within–subject reliability reproducibility |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2022.826564/full |
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