Skip to main content

Is the center of mass (COM) a reliable parameter for the localization of brain function in fMRI?

European Radiology volume 18, pages 1031–1037 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

The center of mass (COM) in functional MRI studies is defined as the center of a cerebral activation cluster. Although the COM is a well-accepted parameter for exactly localizing brain function, the reliability of COMs has not received much attention until now. Our goal was to investigate COM reliability as a function of the thresholding technique, the threshold level, and the type of COM calculation. Therefore 15 subjects were examined repeatedly using simple hand and tongue movement paradigms. Postprocessing was performed with uncorrected, corrected, and proportional thresholding as well as different threshold levels. Geometric and T-weighted COMs of left-hemispheric primary hand and tongue motor clusters were calculated. The COM variation was evaluated within and between repeated sessions depending on the different postprocessing setups. Mean COM variations over three repeated sessions varied between 1.6 mm and 9.8 mm for the hand paradigm and between 7.0 mm and 14.4 mm for the tongue task. Stringent thresholding techniques and high threshold levels were required to assess reliable results, whereas the kind of COM calculation was of lesser relevance. Thus, COM reliability cannot be presupposed; it depends strongly on the individual postprocessing techniques. This should be considered when using COMs for localizing brain function.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

43,34 €

Price includes VAT (Finland)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

References

  1. Fox PT, Mintun MA, Reiman EM, Raichle ME (1988) Enhanced detection of focal brain responses using intersubject averaging and change-distribution analysis of subtracted PET images. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 8:642–653

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Mintun MA, Fox PT, Raichle ME (1989) A highly accurate method of localizing regions of neuronal activation in the human brain with positron emission tomography. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 9:96–103

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Nickerson LD, Martin CC, Lancaster JL, Gao JH, Fox PT (2001) A tool for comparison of PET and fMRI methods: calculation of the uncertainty in the location of an activation site in a PET image. Neuroimage 14:194–201

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Alkadhi H, Crelier GR, Boendermaker SH, Golay X, Hepp-Reymond MC, Kollias SS (2002) Reproducibility of primary motor cortex somatotopy under controlled conditions. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 23:1524–1532

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Beisteiner R, Windischberger C, Lanzenberger R, Edward V, Cunnington R, Erdler M, Gartus A, Streibl B, Moser E, Deecke L (2001) Finger somatotopy in human motor cortex. Neuroimage 13:1016–1026

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Belliveau JW, Kennedy DN Jr, McKinstry RC, Buchbinder BR, Weisskoff RM, Cohen MS, Vevea JM, Brady TJ, Rosen BR (1991) Functional mapping of the human visual cortex by magnetic resonance imaging. Science 254:716–719

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Lotze M, Erb M, Flor H, Huelsmann E, Godde B, Grodd W (2000) fMRI evaluation of somatotopic representation in human primary motor cortex. Neuroimage 11:473–481

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Lotze M, Seggewies G, Erb M, Grodd W, Birbaumer N (2000) The representation of articulation in the primary sensorimotor cortex. Neuroreport 11:2985–2989

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Miyamoto JJ, Honda M, Saito DN, Okada T, Ono T, Ohyama K, Sadato N (2006) The Representation of the Human Oral Area in the Somatosensory Cortex: a Functional MRI Study. Cereb Cortex 16:669–675

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Herwig U, Kolbel K, Wunderlich AP, Thielscher A, von Tiesenhausen C, Spitzer M, Schonfeldt-Lecuona C (2002) Spatial congruence of neuronavigated transcranial magnetic stimulation and functional neuroimaging. Clin Neurophysiol 113:462–468

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Kinahan PE, Noll DC (1999) A direct comparison between whole-brain PET and BOLD fMRI measurements of single-subject activation response. Neuroimage 9:430–438

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Niyazov DM, Butler AJ, Kadah YM, Epstein CM, Hu XP (2005) Functional magnetic resonance imaging and transcranial magnetic stimulation: effects of motor imagery, movement and coil orientation. Clin Neurophysiol 116:1601–1610

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Ramsey NF, Kirkby BS, Van Gelderen P, Berman KF, Duyn JH, Frank JA, Mattay VS, Van Horn JD, Esposito G, Moonen CT, Weinberger DR (1996) Functional mapping of human sensorimotor cortex with 3D BOLD fMRI correlates highly with H2(15)O PET rCBF. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 16:755–764

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Scarff CJ, Reynolds A, Goodyear BG, Ponton CW, Dort JC, Eggermont JJ (2004) Simultaneous 3-T fMRI and high-density recording of human auditory evoked potentials. Neuroimage 23:1129–1142

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Marshall I, Simonotto E, Deary IJ, Maclullich A, Ebmeier KP, Rose EJ, Wardlaw JM, Goddard N, Chappell FM (2004) Repeatability of motor and working-memory tasks in healthy older volunteers: assessment at functional MR imaging. Radiology 233:868–877

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Mattay VS, Frank JA, Santha AK, Pekar JJ, Duyn JH, McLaughlin AC, Weinberger DR (1996) Whole-brain functional mapping with isotropic MR imaging. Radiology 201:399–404

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Havel P, Braun B, Rau S, Tonn JC, Fesl G, Bruckmann H, Ilmberger J (2006) Reproducibility of activation in four motor paradigms: an fMRI study. J Neurol 253:471–476

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  18. McGonigle DJ, Howseman AM, Athwal BS, Friston KJ, Frackowiak RS, Holmes AP (2000) Variability in fMRI: an examination of intersession differences. Neuroimage 11:708–734

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Miki A, Raz J, van Erp TG, Liu CS, Haselgrove JC, Liu GT (2000) Reproducibility of visual activation in functional MR imaging and effects of postprocessing. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 21:910–915

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Oldfield RC (1971) The assessment and analysis of handedness: the Edinburgh inventory. Neuropsychologia 9:97–113

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Ogawa S, Lee TM (1990) Magnetic resonance imaging of blood vessels at high fields: in vivo and in vitro measurements and image simulation. Magn Reson Med 16:9–18

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Ogawa S, Lee TM, Nayak AS, Glynn P (1990) Oxygenation-sensitive contrast in magnetic resonance image of rodent brain at high magnetic fields. Magn Reson Med 14:68–78

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Thulborn KR, Waterton JC, Matthews PM, Radda GK (1982) Oxygenation dependence of the transverse relaxation time of water protons in whole blood at high field. Biochim Biophys Acta 714:265–270

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Talairach J, Tournoux P (1988) Co-planar Stereotactic Atlas of the Human Brain. Thieme, New York

    Google Scholar 

  25. Friston KJ, Ashburner J, Poline JB, Frith CD, Heather JD, Frackowiak RSJ (1995) Spatial registration and normalisation of images. Hum Brain Mapp 2:165–189

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Poline JB, Worsley KJ, Holmes AP, Frackowiak RS, Friston KJ (1995) Estimating smoothness in statistical parametric maps: variability of p values. J Comput Assist Tomogr 19:788–796

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Friston KJ, Holmes AP, Worsley KJ, Poline JP, Frith CD, Frackowiak RSJ (1995) Statistical parametric maps in functional imaging: a general linear approach. Hum Brain Mapp 2:189–210

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Tegeler C, Strother SC, Anderson JR, Kim SG (1999) Reproducibility of BOLD-based functional MRI obtained at 4 T. Hum Brain Mapp 7:267–283

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Liu JZ, Zhang L, Brown RW, Yue GH (2004) Reproducibility of fMRI at 1.5 T in a strictly controlled motor task. Magn Reson Med 52:751–760

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Bayerische Forschungsstiftung (grant no. 475/01) and BrainLab AG, Heimstetten, Germany.

Author information

Affiliations

  1. Department of Neuroradiology, University of Munich, Klinikum Grosshadern, Marchioninistr. 15, 81377, Munich, Germany

    G. Fesl, B. Braun, M. Wiesmann, P. Bruhns, J. Linn & H. Brückmann

  2. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Munich, Klinikum Grosshadern, Marchioninistr. 15, 81377, Munich, Germany

    S. Rau & J. Ilmberger

  3. Department of Neurosurgery, University of Munich, Klinikum Grosshadern, Marchioninistr. 15, 81377, Munich, Germany

    M. Ruge & J.-C. Tonn

  4. Department of Neurology, University of Munich, Klinikum Grosshadern, Marchioninistr. 15, 81377, Munich, Germany

    T. Stephan

Authors
  1. G. Fesl
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. B. Braun
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. S. Rau
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. M. Wiesmann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. M. Ruge
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. P. Bruhns
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. J. Linn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. T. Stephan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. J. Ilmberger
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. J.-C. Tonn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. H. Brückmann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to G. Fesl.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Fesl, G., Braun, B., Rau, S. et al. Is the center of mass (COM) a reliable parameter for the localization of brain function in fMRI?. Eur Radiol 18, 1031–1037 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-008-0850-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-008-0850-z

Keywords

  • Center of mass
  • fMRI
  • Reliability
  • Hand
  • Tongue