Statistical adjustments for brain size in volumetric neuroimaging studies: some practical implications in methods
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Authors
O'Brien, Liam M.Ziegler, David A.
Deutsch, Curtis K.
Frazier, Jean A.
Herbert, Martha R.
Locascio, Joseph J.
UMass Chan Affiliations
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research CenterDepartment of Psychiatry
Document Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2011-08-30Keywords
AdolescentBrain
*Brain Mapping
Child
Female
Humans
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Organ Size
Statistics as Topic
Nervous System
Neurology
Neuroscience and Neurobiology
Psychiatry
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain data provide a valuable tool for detecting structural differences associated with various neurological and psychiatric disorders. Analysis of such data, however, is not always straightforward, and complications can arise when trying to determine which brain structures are "smaller" or "larger" in light of the high degree of individual variability across the population. Several statistical methods for adjusting for individual differences in overall cranial or brain size have been used in the literature, but critical differences exist between them. Using agreement among those methods as an indication of stronger support of a hypothesis is dangerous given that each requires a different set of assumptions be met. Here we examine the theoretical underpinnings of three of these adjustment methods (proportion, residual, and analysis of covariance) and apply them to a volumetric MRI data set. These three methods used for adjusting for brain size are specific cases of a generalized approach which we propose as a recommended modeling strategy. We assess the level of agreement among methods and provide graphical tools to assist researchers in determining how they differ in the types of relationships they can unmask, and provide a useful method by which researchers may tease out important relationships in volumetric MRI data. We conclude with the recommended procedure involving the use of graphical analyses to help uncover potential relationships the ROI volumes may have with head size and give a generalized modeling strategy by which researchers can make such adjustments that include as special cases the three commonly employed methods mentioned above.Source
O'Brien LM, Ziegler DA, Deutsch CK, Frazier JA, Herbert MR, Locascio JJ. Statistical adjustments for brain size in volumetric neuroimaging studies: some practical implications in methods. Psychiatry Res. 2011 Aug 30;193(2):113-22. doi: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2011.01.007. PubMed PMID: 21684724; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3510982. Link to article on publisher's siteDOI
10.1016/j.pscychresns.2011.01.007Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/45998PubMed ID
21684724Related Resources
Link to Article in PubMedae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1016/j.pscychresns.2011.01.007