Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA.
Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences (Neurosciences), Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Dev Cogn Neurosci. 2022 Feb;53:101055. doi: 10.1016/j.dcn.2021.101055. Epub 2021 Dec 27.
The field of adult neuroimaging relies on well-established principles in research design, imaging sequences, processing pipelines, as well as safety and data collection protocols. The field of infant magnetic resonance imaging, by comparison, is a young field with tremendous scientific potential but continuously evolving standards. The present article aims to initiate a constructive dialog between researchers who grapple with the challenges and inherent limitations of a nascent field and reviewers who evaluate their work. We address 20 questions that researchers commonly receive from research ethics boards, grant, and manuscript reviewers related to infant neuroimaging data collection, safety protocols, study planning, imaging sequences, decisions related to software and hardware, and data processing and sharing, while acknowledging both the accomplishments of the field and areas of much needed future advancements. This article reflects the cumulative knowledge of experts in the FIT'NG community and can act as a resource for both researchers and reviewers alike seeking a deeper understanding of the standards and tradeoffs involved in infant neuroimaging.
成人神经影像学领域依赖于研究设计、成像序列、处理管道以及安全性和数据收集协议等方面的成熟原则。相比之下,婴儿磁共振成像领域是一个具有巨大科学潜力但标准不断发展的年轻领域。本文旨在为那些面临新兴领域挑战和固有局限性的研究人员以及评估他们工作的审稿人之间建立一个建设性的对话。我们针对研究人员从研究伦理委员会、资助和手稿审稿人那里经常收到的与婴儿神经影像学数据收集、安全协议、研究计划、成像序列、与软件和硬件相关的决策以及数据处理和共享相关的 20 个问题进行了讨论,同时承认该领域的成就和未来急需改进的领域。本文反映了 FIT'NG 社区专家的集体知识,可作为研究人员和审稿人寻求更深入了解婴儿神经影像学标准和权衡的资源。