title: Sensitivity, reproducibility, and reliability of self-paced versus fixed stimulus presentation in an fMRI study on exact, non-symbolic arithmetic in typically developing children aged between 6 and 12 years.
abstract: Fixed stimulus presentation times pose several methodological problems for developmental functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies that can be avoided by self-paced study designs. Yet, methodological issues of self-paced stimulus presentation for fMRI studies are largely understudied. Therefore, we compared sensitivity, reproducibility, and reliability of neural activation of a fixed and a self-paced design for an exact, non-symbolic addition paradigm in a sample of children aged 6-12 years. Both design types were comparable in sensitivity, and the self-paced design was superior in reproducibility and reliability. Therefore, self-paced study designs seem to be a valid option for developmental fMRI studies on higher cognition.
authors.affiliation: Section Child Neuropsychology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital of the RWTH, Aachen, Germany. krinzinger@neuropsych.rwth-aachen.de
authors.forename: Helga
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Krinzinger
authors.forename: Jan Willem
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Koten
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hennemann
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schueppen
authors.forename: Katleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sahr
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Arndt
authors.forename: Kerstin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Konrad
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Willmes
mesh_terms: D001931:Brain Mapping; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*