title: Longitudinal reproducibility of automatically segmented hippocampal subfields: A multisite European 3T study on healthy elderly.
abstract: Recently, there has been an increased interest in the use of automatically segmented subfields of the human hippocampal formation derived from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, little is known about the test-retest reproducibility of such measures, particularly in the context of multisite studies. Here, we report the reproducibility of automated Freesurfer hippocampal subfields segmentations in 65 healthy elderly enrolled in a consortium of 13 3T MRI sites (five subjects per site). Participants were scanned in two sessions (test and retest) at least one week apart. Each session included two anatomical 3D T1 MRI acquisitions harmonized in the consortium. We evaluated the test-retest reproducibility of subfields segmentation (i) to assess the effects of averaging two within-session T1 images and (ii) to compare subfields with whole hippocampus volume and spatial reliability. We found that within-session averaging of two T1 images significantly improved the reproducibility of all hippocampal subfields but not that of the whole hippocampus. Volumetric and spatial reproducibility across MRI sites were very good for the whole hippocampus, CA2-3, CA4-dentate gyrus (DG), subiculum (reproducibility error∼2% and DICE > 0.90), good for CA1 and presubiculum (reproducibility error ∼ 5% and DICE ∼ 0.90), and poorer for fimbria and hippocampal fissure (reproducibility error ∼ 15% and DICE < 0.80). Spearman's correlations confirmed that test-retest reproducibility improved with volume size. Despite considerable differences of MRI scanner configurations, we found consistent hippocampal subfields volumes estimation. CA2-3, CA4-DG, and sub-CA1 (subiculum, presubiculum, and CA1 pooled together) gave test-retest reproducibility similar to the whole hippocampus. Our findings suggest that the larger hippocampal subfields volume may be reliable longitudinal markers in multisite studies.
authors.affiliation: LENITEM Laboratory of Epidemiology, Neuroimaging, & Telemedicine - IRCCS San Giovanni Di Dio-FBF, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: Moira
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marizzoni
authors.affiliation: Memory Clinic and LANVIE - Laboratory of Neuroimaging of Aging, University Hospitals and University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Antelmi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, Universitat De Barcelona and IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bosch
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, Universitat De Barcelona and IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bartrés-Faz
authors.affiliation: LVR-Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Institutes and Clinics of the University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
authors.forename: Bernhard W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center (UMG), Georg-August University, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wiltfang
authors.affiliation: LVR-Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Institutes and Clinics of the University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
authors.forename: Ute
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Fiedler
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroradiology, IRCSS San Martino University Hospital and IST, Genoa, Italy.|Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Roccatagliata
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Ophthalmology, Genetics and Mother-Child Health (DINOGMI), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Agnese
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Picco
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Ophthalmology, Genetics and Mother-Child Health (DINOGMI), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Flavio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nobili
authors.affiliation: Pharmacology, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux De Marseille, Aix-Marseille University - CNRS, UMR 7289, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Blin
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, INSERM U1171, Lille University, Lille, France.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bombois
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroradiology, INSERM U1171, Lille University, Lille, France.
authors.forename: Renaud
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.affiliation: CRMBM-CEMEREM, UMR 7339, Aix Marseille Université - CNRS, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Julien
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sein
authors.affiliation: CRMBM-CEMEREM, UMR 7339, Aix Marseille Université - CNRS, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Philippe
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Ranjeva
authors.affiliation: Service de Neurologie et Neuropsychologie, APHM, CHU Timone, Marseille, France.|Aix-Marseille Université, Inserm, INS UMR_S 1106, 13005, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Mira
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Didic
authors.affiliation: Imagerie Cérébrale Et Handicaps Neurologiques, INSERM, Toulouse, F, 31024, France.|Université Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier, UMR 825 Imagerie Cérébrale Et Handicaps Neurologiques, Toulouse, F, 31024, France.
authors.forename: Hélène
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gros-Dagnac
authors.affiliation: Imagerie Cérébrale Et Handicaps Neurologiques, INSERM, Toulouse, F, 31024, France.|Université Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier, UMR 825 Imagerie Cérébrale Et Handicaps Neurologiques, Toulouse, F, 31024, France.
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Payoux
authors.affiliation: Service of Neuroradiology, University Hospital of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Giada
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zoccatelli
authors.affiliation: Service of Neuroradiology, University Hospital of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Alessandrini
authors.affiliation: Service of Neuroradiology, University Hospital of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Beltramello
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroradiology and Magnetic Resonace Image Core Facility, Hospital Clínic De Barcelona, IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Núria
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bargalló
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti, Italy.|Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies (ITAB), University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferretti
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti, Italy.|Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies (ITAB), University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti, Italy.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Caulo
authors.affiliation: IRCCS SDN, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aiello
authors.affiliation: IRCCS SDN, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cavaliere
authors.affiliation: IRCCS SDN, Naples, Italy.|University of Naples Parthenope, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Soricelli
authors.affiliation: Section of Neurology, Centre for Memory Disturbances, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Salvadori
authors.affiliation: Section of Neurology, Centre for Memory Disturbances, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: Lucilla
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Parnetti
authors.affiliation: Medical Physics Unit, Perugia General Hospital, Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tarducci
authors.affiliation: Neuroradiology Unit, Perugia General Hospital, Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: Piero
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Floridi
authors.affiliation: 3rd Department of Neurology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Magda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tsolaki
authors.affiliation: Interbalkan Medical Center of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Manos
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Constantinidis
authors.affiliation: Interbalkan Medical Center of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.|Department of Radiology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Antonios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Drevelegas
authors.affiliation: Deptartment of Geriatrics, Neuroscience and Orthopaedics, Catholic University, Policlinic Gemelli, Rome, Italy.|IRCSS S.Raffaele Pisana, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo Maria
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Rossini
authors.affiliation: Center for Neuropsychological Research, Catholic University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Camillo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marra
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Karl-Titus
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Tilman
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hensch
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schönknecht
authors.affiliation: Deptartment of Physics and Medical Technology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Joost P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Kuijer
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Alzheimer Center Limburg, University of Maastricht, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Pieter Jelle
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Visser
authors.affiliation: Radiology and Image Analysis Centre (IAC), VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Frederik
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Barkhof
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, INSERM U1171, Lille University, Lille, France.
authors.forename: Régis
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bordet
authors.affiliation: LENITEM Laboratory of Epidemiology, Neuroimaging, & Telemedicine - IRCCS San Giovanni Di Dio-FBF, Brescia, Italy.|Memory Clinic and LANVIE - Laboratory of Neuroimaging of Aging, University Hospitals and University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Giovanni B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Frisoni
authors.affiliation: Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMEC), University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jovicich
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology*; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009929:Organ Size; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012984:Software
keywords: Freesurfer; hippocampus; test-retest reproducibility; within session T1 averaging