Open-access quantitative MRI data of the spinal cord and reproducibility across participants, sites and manufacturers

In a companion paper by Cohen-Adad et al. we introduce the spine generic quantitative MRI protocol that provides valuable metrics for assessing spinal cord macrostructural and microstructural integrity. This protocol was used to acquire a single subject dataset across 19 centers and a multi-subject dataset across 42 centers (for a total of 260 participants), spanning the three main MRI manufacturers: GE, Philips and Siemens. Both datasets are publicly available via git-annex. Data were analysed using the Spinal Cord Toolbox to produce normative values as well as inter/intra-site and inter/intra-manufacturer statistics. Reproducibility for the spine generic protocol was high across sites and manufacturers, with an average inter-site coefficient of variation of less than 5% for all the metrics. Full documentation and results can be found at https://spine-generic.rtfd.io/. The datasets and analysis pipeline will help pave the way towards accessible and reproducible quantitative MRI in the spinal cord

Generic acquisition protocol for quantitative MRI of the spinal cord

Quantitative spinal cord (SC) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) presents many challenges, including a lack of standardized imaging protocols. Here we present a prospectively harmonized quantitative MRI protocol, which we refer to as the spine generic protocol, for users of 3T MRI systems from the three main manufacturers: GE, Philips and Siemens. The protocol provides guidance for assessing SC macrostructural and microstructural integrity: T1-weighted and T2-weighted imaging for SC cross-sectional area computation, multi-echo gradient echo for gray matter cross-sectional area, and magnetization transfer and diffusion weighted imaging for assessing white matter microstructure. In a companion paper from the same authors, the spine generic protocol was used to acquire data across 42 centers in 260 healthy subjects. The key details of the spine generic protocol are also available in an open-access document that can be found at https://github.com/spine-generic/protocols. The protocol will serve as a starting point for researchers and clinicians implementing new SC imaging initiatives so that, in the future, inclusion of the SC in neuroimaging protocols will be more common. The protocol could be implemented by any trained MR technician or by a researcher/clinician familiar with MRI acquisition

Open-access quantitative MRI data of the spinal cord and reproducibility across participants, sites and manufacturers

In a companion paper by Cohen-Adad et al. we introduce the spine generic quantitative MRI protocol that provides valuable metrics for assessing spinal cord macrostructural and microstructural integrity. This protocol was used to acquire a single subject dataset across 19 centers and a multi-subject dataset across 42 centers (for a total of 260 participants), spanning the three main MRI manufacturers: GE, Philips and Siemens. Both datasets are publicly available via git-annex. Data were analysed using the Spinal Cord Toolbox to produce normative values as well as inter/intra-site and inter/intra-manufacturer statistics. Reproducibility for the spine generic protocol was high across sites and manufacturers, with an average inter-site coefficient of variation of less than 5% for all the metrics. Full documentation and results can be found at https://spine-generic.rtfd.io/. The datasets and analysis pipeline will help pave the way towards accessible and reproducible quantitative MRI in the spinal cord

SPiCiCAP framework

This dataset was acquired to investigate spatio-temporal properties of spinal resting-state fluctuations using a dynamic connectivity approach, the SPiCiCAP framework.Details can be found in the related publication: Kinany, N., Pirondini, E., Van De Ville, D., and Micera, S. (2020). Dynamic functional connectivity of resting-state spinal cord fMRI reveals fine-grained intrinsic architecture. Neuron.=== Data ===We provide a spinal cord fMRI dataset containing 22 healthy subjects, with a resting-state scan (15 minutes) for each participant.Raw, processed and analyzed data are included. === Code ===The SPiCiCAP framework comprises the following steps:1- Processing pipeline for spinal cord fMRI2- Extracting iCAPs (i.e., networks based on dynamic functional connectivity)3- Analyze iCAPs spatio-temporal propertiesTHIS DATASET IS ARCHIVED AT DANS/EASY, BUT NOT ACCESSIBLE HERE. TO VIEW A LIST OF FILES AND ACCESS THE FILES IN THIS DATASET CLICK ON THE DOI-LINK ABOV

Spinal cord fMRI during upper limb movements

This dataset was initially acquired to investigate the spinal functional activation patterns related to different upper limb movements (finger abduction, wrist adduction and wrist extension). In order to relate this spinal activity to the actual motor output, muscle activity was also recorded during the same movements, outside the scanner. The different movements were found to elicit distinct rostrocaudal activation patterns. More details can be found in the related publication: N. Kinany, E. Pirondini, R. Martuzzi, L. Mattera, S. Micera and D. Van de Ville (2019). Functional imaging of rostrocaudal spinal activity during upper limb motor tasks. NeuroImag

Dynamic Functional Connectivity of Resting-State Spinal Cord fMRI Reveals Fine-Grained Intrinsic Architecture

Kinany et al. introduce the SpiCiCAP framework, a dynamic functional connectivity approach to disentangle spinal functional activity acquired using fMRI. They demonstrate the potential of this methodology to uncover fine-grained features of the spinal cord's functional architecture and to explore their physiological relevance

Functional imaging of rostrocaudal spinal activity during upper limb motor tasks

The spinal cord is the main interface between the brain and the periphery. It notably plays a central role in motor control, as spinal motoneurons activate skeletal muscles involved in voluntary movements. Yet, the spinal mechanisms underlying human movement generation have not been completely elucidated. In this regard, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) represents a potential tool to probe spinal cord function non-invasively and with high spatial resolution. Nonetheless, a thorough characterization of this approach is still lacking, currently limiting its impact. Here, we aimed at systematically quantifying to which extent fMRI can reveal spinal cord activity along the rostrocaudal direction. We investigated changes in the blood oxygenation level dependent signal of the human cervical spinal cord during bimanual upper limb movements (wrist extension, wrist adduction and finger abduction) in nineteen healthy volunteers. Prior to scanning, we recorded the muscle activity associated with these movements in order to reconstruct the theoretical motor-pool output pattern using an anatomy-based mapping of the electromyographic (EMG) waveforms. EMG-derived spinal maps were characterized by distinct rostrocaudal patterns of activation, thus confirming the task-specific features of the different movements. Analogous activation patterns were captured using spinal cord fMRI. Finally, an additional fMRI dataset was acquired from a subset of the participants (n = 6) to deploy a multivoxel pattern analysis, which allowed successful decoding of movements. These combined results suggest that spinal cord fMRI can be used to image rostrocaudal activation patterns reflecting the underlying activity of the motoneuron pools innervating the task-related muscles. Spinal cord fMRI offers the prospect of a novel tool to study motor processes and potentially their modification following neurological motor disorders