title: Impact of image acquisition on voxel-based-morphometry investigations of age-related structural brain changes.
abstract: A growing number of magnetic resonance imaging studies employ voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to assess structural brain changes. Recent reports have shown that image acquisition parameters may influence VBM results. For systematic evaluation, gray-matter-density (GMD) changes associated with aging were investigated by VBM employing acquisitions with different radiofrequency head coils (12-channel matrix coil vs. 32-channel array), different pulse sequences (MP-RAGE vs. MP2RAGE), and different voxel dimensions (1mm vs. 0.8mm). Thirty-six healthy subjects, classified as young, middle-aged, or elderly, participated in the study. Two-sample and paired t-tests revealed significant effects of acquisition parameters (coil, pulse sequence, and resolution) on the estimated age-related GMD changes in cortical and subcortical regions. Potential advantages in tissue classification and segmentation were obtained for MP2RAGE. The 32-channel coil generally outperformed the 12-channel coil, with more benefit for MP2RAGE. Further improvement can be expected from higher resolution if the loss in SNR is accounted for. Use of inconsistent acquisition parameters in VBM analyses is likely to introduce systematic bias. Overall, acquisition and protocol changes require careful adaptations of the VBM analysis strategy before generalized conclusion can be drawn.
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; Leipzig Research Center for Civilization Diseases, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany. Electronic address: paolo@cbs.mpg.de.
authors.forename: Daniel-Paolo
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Streitbürger
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pampel
authors.affiliation: Siemens Schweiz AG, Healthcare Sector IM & WS, Renens, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Gunnar
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Krueger
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Jöran
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lepsien
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; Clinic for Cognitive Neurology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Schroeter
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Karsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany. Electronic address: moeller@cbs.mpg.de.
authors.forename: Harald E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Möller
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Aging; Imaging pulse sequence; Radiofrequency coil; Voxel size; Voxel-based morphometry