title: Between- and within-site variability of fMRI localizations.
abstract: This study provides first data about the spatial variability of fMRI sensorimotor localizations when investigating the same subjects at different fMRI sites. Results are comparable to a previous patient study. We found a median between-site variability of about 6 mm independent of task (motor or sensory) and experimental standardization (high or low). An intraclass correlation coefficient analysis using data quality measures indicated a major influence of the fMRI site on variability. In accordance with this, within-site localization variability was considerably lower (about 3 mm). We conclude that the fMRI site is a considerable confound for localization of brain activity. However, when performed by experienced clinical fMRI experts, brain pathology does not seem to have a relevant impact on the reliability of fMRI localizations. Hum Brain Mapp 37:2151-2160, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and MR Center of Excellence, Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Jakob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rath
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and MR Center of Excellence, Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Moritz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wurnig
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and MR Center of Excellence, Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fischmeister
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and MR Center of Excellence, Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Nicolaus
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Klinger
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and MR Center of Excellence, Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Ilse
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Höllinger
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and MR Center of Excellence, Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Geißler
authors.affiliation: Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aichhorn
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and MR Center of Excellence, Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Foki
authors.affiliation: Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.|Neuroscience Institute, Christian-Doppler-Clinic, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kronbichler
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Janpeter
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nickel
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroradiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Siedentopf
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Christian-Doppler-Clinic, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Staffen
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Verius
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Christian-Doppler-Clinic, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Golaszewski
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Koppelstaetter
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Eduard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Auff
authors.affiliation: Institute for Diagnostic Radiology, Stiftungsklinikum Mittelrhein, Koblenz, Germany.
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Felber
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Germany.|Centre of Neurology and Neuropsychiatry, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, LVR-Klinikum Düsseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Rüdiger J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Seitz
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and MR Center of Excellence, Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Beisteiner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D055698:Touch Perception / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: FMRI; motor cortex; multicenter study; somatosensory cortex; variability