Donders Institute for Brain, Behaviour, and Cognition, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Department for Medical Imaging, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Nat Neurosci. 2023 Apr;26(4):673-681. doi: 10.1038/s41593-023-01286-8. Epub 2023 Mar 27.
Task-free functional connectivity in animal models provides an experimental framework to examine connectivity phenomena under controlled conditions and allows for comparisons with data modalities collected under invasive or terminal procedures. Currently, animal acquisitions are performed with varying protocols and analyses that hamper result comparison and integration. Here we introduce StandardRat, a consensus rat functional magnetic resonance imaging acquisition protocol tested across 20 centers. To develop this protocol with optimized acquisition and processing parameters, we initially aggregated 65 functional imaging datasets acquired from rats across 46 centers. We developed a reproducible pipeline for analyzing rat data acquired with diverse protocols and determined experimental and processing parameters associated with the robust detection of functional connectivity across centers. We show that the standardized protocol enhances biologically plausible functional connectivity patterns relative to previous acquisitions. The protocol and processing pipeline described here is openly shared with the neuroimaging community to promote interoperability and cooperation toward tackling the most important challenges in neuroscience.
无任务的动物模型功能连接提供了一个实验框架，可在受控条件下检查连接现象，并允许与在侵入性或终末程序下收集的数据模式进行比较。目前，动物采集是在不同的协议和分析下进行的，这阻碍了结果的比较和整合。在这里，我们介绍了 StandardRat，这是一个经过 20 个中心测试的共识大鼠功能磁共振成像采集协议。为了开发具有优化采集和处理参数的协议，我们最初汇总了来自 46 个中心的 65 个大鼠功能成像数据集。我们开发了一种可重复的大鼠数据分析管道，用于分析使用不同协议采集的数据，并确定与跨中心稳健检测功能连接相关的实验和处理参数。我们表明，标准化协议相对于以前的采集增强了具有生物学意义的功能连接模式。这里描述的协议和处理管道与神经影像学社区共享，以促进互操作性和合作，共同应对神经科学中最重要的挑战。
