The influence of paradigm standardization on the variability of sensorimotor cortex localization across different fMRI centers – a multicenter patient study

• Published in: NeuroImage (Orlando, Fla.) Vol. 47; p. S131
• Main Authors: Klinger, N, Rath, J, Hoellinger, I, Geissler, A, Gruber, S, Aichhorn, M, Kronbichler, M, Nickel, JP, Siedentopf, C, Staffen, W, Steinkellner, T, Foki, T, Verius, M, Felber, S, Golaszewski, S, Koppelstaetter, F, Seitz, R, Beisteiner, R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Inc 01-07-2009; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Datasets; Localization; Pathology; Standardization
• ISSN: 1053-8119; 1095-9572
• DOI: 10.1016/S1053-8119(09)71286-8

Methods 14 patients (8f/6m, mean age 33,41a) with unilateral brain pathology underwent sensory stimulation of the second and third finger of the hand contralateral to pathology with a highly-standardized vibrotactile stimulus (pseudo-randomized vibration) and performed a non-standardized motor task with the same hand at three different fMRI centers (Innsbruck, Salzburg, Vienna). Data analysis was done with SPM5 (normalization with masking of brain pathology, p<0.001 uncorrected, smoothing 8*8*8mm) to answer the following questions: ) How much does the variability of the most significant cluster of activation (determined by the most significant voxel) vary in the entire brain of a patient over all centers when using both a highly-standardized and a non-standardized paradigm? ) Focussing only on the primary sensorimotor area (S1M1), is a highly standardized paradigm more reliable in terms of reproducibility of activation?