74 research outputs found

    Detecting Outliers in High-Dimensional Neuroimaging Datasets with Robust Covariance Estimators

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    International audienceMedical imaging datasets often contain deviant observations, the so-called outliers, due to acquisition or preprocessing artifacts or resulting from large intrinsic inter-subject variability. These can undermine the statistical procedures used in group studies as the latter assume that the cohorts are composed of homogeneous samples with anatomical or functional features clustered around a central mode. The effects of outlying subjects can be mitigated by detecting and removing them with explicit statistical control. With the emergence of large medical imaging databases, exhaustive data screening is no longer possible, and automated outlier detection methods are currently gaining interest. The datasets used in medical imaging are often high-dimensional and strongly correlated. The outlier detection procedure should therefore rely on high-dimensional statistical multivariate models. However, state-of-the-art procedures are not well-suited for such high-dimensional settings. In this work, we introduce regularization in the MCD framework and investigate different regularization schemes. We carry out extensive simulations to provide backing for practical choices in absence of ground truth knowledge. We demonstrate on functional neuroimaging datasets that outlier detection can be performed with small sample sizes and improves group studies

    A supervised clustering approach for fMRI-based inference of brain states

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    We propose a method that combines signals from many brain regions observed in functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to predict the subject's behavior during a scanning session. Such predictions suffer from the huge number of brain regions sampled on the voxel grid of standard fMRI data sets: the curse of dimensionality. Dimensionality reduction is thus needed, but it is often performed using a univariate feature selection procedure, that handles neither the spatial structure of the images, nor the multivariate nature of the signal. By introducing a hierarchical clustering of the brain volume that incorporates connectivity constraints, we reduce the span of the possible spatial configurations to a single tree of nested regions tailored to the signal. We then prune the tree in a supervised setting, hence the name supervised clustering, in order to extract a parcellation (division of the volume) such that parcel-based signal averages best predict the target information. Dimensionality reduction is thus achieved by feature agglomeration, and the constructed features now provide a multi-scale representation of the signal. Comparisons with reference methods on both simulated and real data show that our approach yields higher prediction accuracy than standard voxel-based approaches. Moreover, the method infers an explicit weighting of the regions involved in the regression or classification task

    Cohort-level brain mapping: learning cognitive atoms to single out specialized regions

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    International audienceFunctional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) studies map the human brain by testing the response of groups of individuals to carefully-crafted and contrasted tasks in order to delineate specialized brain regions and networks. The number of functional networks extracted is limited by the number of subject-level contrasts and does not grow with the cohort. Here, we introduce a new group-level brain mapping strategy to differentiate many regions reflecting the variety of brain network configurations observed in the population. Based on the principle of functional segregation, our approach singles out functionally-specialized brain regions by learning group-level functional profiles on which the response of brain regions can be represented sparsely. We use a dictionary-learning formulation that can be solved efficiently with on-line algorithms, scaling to arbitrary large datasets. Importantly, we model inter-subject correspondence as structure imposed in the estimated functional profiles, integrating a structure-inducing regularization with no additional computational cost. On a large multi-subject study, our approach extracts a large number of brain networks with meaningful functional profiles

    Flexible multivariate hemodynamics fMRI data analyses and simulations with PyHRF

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    International audienceAs part of fMRI data analysis, the pyhrf package provides a set of tools for addressing the two 3 main issues involved in intra-subject fMRI data analysis: (i) the localization of cerebral regions 4 that elicit evoked activity and (ii) the estimation of the activation dynamics also referenced to 5 as the recovery of the Hemodynamic Response Function (HRF). To tackle these two problems, 6 pyhrf implements the Joint Detection-Estimation framework (JDE) which recovers parcel-level 7 HRFs and embeds an adaptive spatio-temporal regularization scheme of activation maps. With 8 respect to the sole detection issue (i), the classical voxelwise GLM procedure is also available 9 through nipy, whereas Finite Impulse Response (FIR) and temporally regularized FIR models 10 are implemented to deal with HRF estimation concerns (ii). Several parcellation tools are also 11 integrated such as spatial and functional clustering. Parcellations may be used for spatial 12 averaging prior to FIR/RFIR analysis or to specify the spatial support of the HRF estimates 13 in the JDE approach. These analysis procedures can be applied either to volumic data sets or 14 to data projected onto the cortical surface. For validation purpose, this package is shipped with 15 artificial and real fMRI data sets, which are used in this paper to compare the outcome of the 16 different available approaches. The artificial fMRI data generator is also described to illustrate 17 how to simulate different activation configurations, HRF shapes or nuisance components. To 18 cope with the high computational needs for inference, pyhrf handles distributing computing 19 by exploiting cluster units as well as multiple cores computers. Finally, a dedicated viewer is 20 presented, which handles n-dimensional images and provides suitable features to explore whole 21 brain hemodynamics (time series, maps, ROI mask overlay)

    Comparing fully automated state-of-the-art cerebellum parcellation from magnetic resonance images

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    [EN] The human cerebellum plays an essential role in motor control, is involved in cognitive function (i.e., attention, working memory, and language), and helps to regulate emotional responses. Quantitative in-vivo assessment of the cerebellum is important in the study of several neurological diseases including cerebellar ataxia, autism, and schizophrenia. Different structural subdivisions of the cerebellum have been shown to correlate with differing pathologies. To further understand these pathologies, it is helpful to automatically parcellate the cerebellum at the highest fidelity possible. In this paper, we coordinated with colleagues around the world to evaluate automated cerebellum parcellation algorithms on two clinical cohorts showing that the cerebellum can be parcellated to a high accuracy by newer methods. We characterize these various methods at four hierarchical levels: coarse (i.e., whole cerebellum and gross structures), lobe, subdivisions of the vermis, and the lobules. Due to the number of labels, the hierarchy of labels, the number of algorithms, and the two cohorts, we have restricted our analyses to the Dice measure of overlap. Under these conditions, machine learning based methods provide a collection of strategies that are efficient and deliver parcellations of a high standard across both cohorts, surpassing previous work in the area. In conjunction with the rank-sum computation, we identified an overall winning method.The data collection and labeling of the cerebellum was supported in part by the NIH/NINDS grant R01 NS056307 (PI: J.L. Prince) and NIH/NIMH grants R01 MH078160 & R01 MH085328 (PI: S.H. Mostofsky). PMT is supported in part by the NIH/NIBIB grant U54 EB020403. CERES2 development was supported by grant UPV2016-0099 from the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (PI: J.V. Manjon); the French National Research Agency through the Investments for the future Program IdEx Bordeaux (ANR-10-IDEX-03-02, HL-MRI Project; PI: P. Coupe) and Cluster of excellence CPU and TRAIL (HR-DTI ANR-10-LABX-57; PI: P. Coupe). Support for the development of LiviaNET was provided by the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), discovery grant program, and by the ETS Research Chair on Artificial Intelligence in Medical Imaging. The authors wish to acknowledge the invaluable contributions offered by Dr. George Fein (Dept. of Medicine and Psychology, University of Hawaii) in preparing this manuscript.Carass, A.; Cuzzocreo, JL.; Han, S.; Hernandez-Castillo, CR.; Rasser, PE.; Ganz, M.; Beliveau, V.... (2018). Comparing fully automated state-of-the-art cerebellum parcellation from magnetic resonance images. NeuroImage. 183:150-172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.08.003S15017218

    Oxytocin Receptor Genotype Modulates Ventral Striatal Activity to Social Cues and Response to Stressful Life Events

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    Background Common variants in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) have been shown to influence social and affective behavior and to moderate the effect of adverse experiences on risk for social-affective problems. However, the intermediate neurobiological mechanisms are not fully understood. Although human functional neuroimaging studies have reported that oxytocin effects on social behavior and emotional states are mediated by amygdala function, animal models indicate that oxytocin receptors in the ventral striatum (VS) modulate sensitivity to social reinforcers. This study aimed to comprehensively investigate OXTR-dependent brain mechanisms associated with social-affective problems. Methods In a sample of 1445 adolescents we tested the effect of 23-tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms across the OXTR region and stressful life events (SLEs) on functional magnetic resonance imaging blood oxygen level-dependent activity in the VS and amygdala to animated angry faces. Single nucleotide polymorphisms for which gene-wide significant effects on brain function were found were then carried forward to examine associations with social-affective problems. Results A gene-wide significant effect of rs237915 showed that adolescents with minor CC-genotype had significantly lower VS activity than CT/TT-carriers. Significant or nominally significant gene × environment effects on emotional problems (in girls) and peer problems (in boys) revealed a strong increase in clinical symptoms as a function of SLEs in CT/TT-carriers but not CC-homozygotes. However, in low-SLE environments, CC-homozygotes had more emotional problems (girls) and peer problems (boys). Moreover, among CC-homozygotes, reduced VS activity was related to more peer problems. Conclusions These findings suggest that a common OXTR-variant affects brain responsiveness to negative social cues and that in "risk- carriers" reduced sensitivity is simultaneously associated with more social-affective problems in "favorable environments" and greater resilience against stressful experiences. © 2014 Society of Biological Psychiatry

    Fast reproducible identification and large-scale databasing of individual functional cognitive networks

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    <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although cognitive processes such as reading and calculation are associated with reproducible cerebral networks, inter-individual variability is considerable. Understanding the origins of this variability will require the elaboration of large multimodal databases compiling behavioral, anatomical, genetic and functional neuroimaging data over hundreds of subjects. With this goal in mind, we designed a simple and fast acquisition procedure based on a 5-minute functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) sequence that can be run as easily and as systematically as an anatomical scan, and is therefore used in every subject undergoing fMRI in our laboratory. This protocol captures the cerebral bases of auditory and visual perception, motor actions, reading, language comprehension and mental calculation at an individual level.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>81 subjects were successfully scanned. Before describing inter-individual variability, we demonstrated in the present study the reliability of individual functional data obtained with this short protocol. Considering the anatomical variability, we then needed to correctly describe individual functional networks in a voxel-free space. We applied then non-voxel based methods that automatically extract main features of individual patterns of activation: group analyses performed on these individual data not only converge to those reported with a more conventional voxel-based random effect analysis, but also keep information concerning variance in location and degrees of activation across subjects.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This collection of individual fMRI data will help to describe the cerebral inter-subject variability of the correlates of some language, calculation and sensorimotor tasks. In association with demographic, anatomical, behavioral and genetic data, this protocol will serve as the cornerstone to establish a hybrid database of hundreds of subjects suitable to study the range and causes of variation in the cerebral bases of numerous mental processes.</p

    Correlations among Brain Gray Matter Volumes, Age, Gender, and Hemisphere in Healthy Individuals

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    To determine the relationship between age and gray matter structure and how interactions between gender and hemisphere impact this relationship, we examined correlations between global or regional gray matter volume and age, including interactions of gender and hemisphere, using a general linear model with voxel-based and region-of-interest analyses. Brain magnetic resonance images were collected from 1460 healthy individuals aged 20–69 years; the images were linearly normalized and segmented and restored to native space for analysis of global gray matter volume. Linearly normalized images were then non-linearly normalized and smoothed for analysis of regional gray matter volume. Analysis of global gray matter volume revealed a significant negative correlation between gray matter ratio (gray matter volume divided by intracranial volume) and age in both genders, and a significant interaction effect of age × gender on the gray matter ratio. In analyzing regional gray matter volume, the gray matter volume of all regions showed significant main effects of age, and most regions, with the exception of several including the inferior parietal lobule, showed a significant age × gender interaction. Additionally, the inferior temporal gyrus showed a significant age × gender × hemisphere interaction. No regional volumes showed significant age × hemisphere interactions. Our study may contribute to clarifying the mechanism(s) of normal brain aging in each brain region
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