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Spinal fMRI during proprioceptive and tactile tasks in healthy subjects: activity detected using cross-correlation, general linear model and independent component analysis

  • Functional Neuroradiology
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Abstract

Introduction

Functional MRI (fMRI) of the spinal cord is able to provide maps of neuronal activity. Spinal fMRI data have been analyzed in previous studies by calculating the cross-correlation (CC) between the stimulus and the time course of every voxel and, more recently, by using the general linear model (GLM). The aim of this study was to compare three different approaches (CC analysis, GLM and independent component analysis (ICA)) for analyzing fMRI scans of the cervical spinal cord.

Methods

We analyzed spinal fMRI data from healthy subjects during a proprioceptive and a tactile stimulation by using two model-based approaches, i.e., CC analysis between the stimulus shape and the time course of every voxel, and the GLM. Moreover, we applied independent component analysis, a model-free approach which decomposes the data in a set of source signals.

Results

All methods were able to detect cervical cord areas of activity corresponding to the expected regions of neuronal activations. Model-based approaches (CC and GLM) revealed similar patterns of activity. ICA could identify a component correlated to fMRI stimulation, although with a lower statistical threshold than model-based approaches, and many components, consistent across subjects, which are likely to be secondary to noise present in the data.

Conclusions

Model-based approaches seem to be more robust for estimating task-related activity, whereas ICA seems to be useful for eliminating noise components from the data. Combined use of ICA and GLM might improve the reliability of spinal fMRI results.

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Acknowledgments

This study was partially supported by a grant from the Fondazione Italiana Sclerosi Multipla (FISM 2005/R/12).

Conflict of interest statement

We declare that we have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neuroimaging Research Unit, Scientific Institute Ospedale San Raffaele, via Olgettina 60, 20132, Milan, Italy

    P. Valsasina, F. Agosta & M. Filippi

  2. Department of Neurology, Scientific Institute Fondazione Don Gnocchi, Milan, Italy

    D. Caputo

  3. Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada

    P. W. Stroman

Authors
  1. P. Valsasina
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  2. F. Agosta
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  3. D. Caputo
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  4. P. W. Stroman
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  5. M. Filippi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. Filippi.

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Valsasina, P., Agosta, F., Caputo, D. et al. Spinal fMRI during proprioceptive and tactile tasks in healthy subjects: activity detected using cross-correlation, general linear model and independent component analysis. Neuroradiology 50, 895–902 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00234-008-0420-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00234-008-0420-8

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