Pretzsch Charlotte M, Váša František, Brammer Michael, Brink Lucy, Potter Mandy, Mackay Wendy, Smit Petrusa, Du Plessis Carolina, Wagner Marcelle, Jonker Deborah, Donald Kirsten A, Scheffler Freda, Pham Cindy, Hollestein Viola, Loth Eva, Murphy Declan Gm, Odendaal Hein J, Sowell Elizabeth R, Springer Priscilla E, Stein Dan J, Ecker Christine
Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Commun Biol. 2025 Jun 12;8(1):918. doi: 10.1038/s42003-025-08322-2.
High-field magnetic resonance imaging to explore brain structure and function remains limited to high-resource settings. Novel, low-field (<0.1 T) imaging offers a more cost-effective/accessible alternative. However, the validity of low-field data at spatial resolutions relevant to research and clinic (vertex-level) remains unclear. Hence, we examine paired high-field (reference) and low-field (single/multi-orientation scans processed through established/novel pipelines) data (12 children [10-12 yrs] in a low- and middle-income country [LMIC]). We assess high-field/low-field correspondence between vertex-level measures of cortical volume, surface area, and cortical thickness; and compare analytic strategies. High/low-field images show weak-to-moderate global correspondence (cortical volume, surface area: Pearson's r ≤ 0.6, cortical thickness r ≤ 0.3), and weak-to-very strong local correspondence (r ≤ 0.99). Greatest correspondence is achieved with multi-orientation images and a pipeline adjusted for low-resolution images (recon-all-clinical); or image enhancement (SynthSR) plus standard processing (FastSurfer); but agreement varies across brain based on input, analytic strategy, and neuroanatomical feature. We provide an application to interactively explore our results. Thus, low-field imaging can provide reliable, high-resolution estimates of cortical volume and surface area, but not cortical thickness; and analytic approaches should be selected based on multiple considerations. Once validated, this research may help deploy low-field imaging to aid research/evidence-based clinical work in high- and low-resource settings, including LMIC.
利用高场磁共振成像探索脑结构和功能目前仍局限于资源丰富的环境。新型低场（<0.1 T）成像提供了一种更具成本效益且更易获取的替代方案。然而，在与研究和临床相关的空间分辨率（顶点水平）下，低场数据的有效性仍不明确。因此，我们对高场（参考）和低场（通过既定/新型流程处理的单/多方向扫描）数据进行了配对研究（来自低收入和中等收入国家[LMIC]的12名儿童[10 - 12岁]）。我们评估了顶点水平的皮质体积、表面积和皮质厚度测量值在高场和低场之间的对应关系，并比较了分析策略。高场/低场图像显示出弱到中等程度的整体对应关系（皮质体积、表面积：皮尔逊相关系数r≤0.6，皮质厚度r≤0.3），以及弱到非常强的局部对应关系（r≤0.99）。多方向图像以及针对低分辨率图像调整的流程（recon - all - clinical）；或图像增强（SynthSR）加上标准处理（FastSurfer）能实现最大程度的对应；但基于输入、分析策略和神经解剖特征，全脑的一致性存在差异。我们提供了一个交互式探索结果的应用程序。因此，低场成像可以提供可靠的、高分辨率的皮质体积和表面积估计值，但无法提供皮质厚度估计值；并且应基于多种考虑因素选择分析方法。一旦得到验证，这项研究可能有助于在包括LMIC在内的高资源和低资源环境中部署低场成像，以辅助研究/基于证据的临床工作。
