ABSTRACT
Background and Purpose
Resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) is increasingly used to map brain networks in patients under anesthesia, but technical factors can affect its utility. We evaluated the effects of sevoflurane, multiband acceleration, and scan duration on rs-fMRI signal quality and within-subject reliability under anesthesia.
Methods
We retrospectively analyzed 64 clinical rs-fMRI scans acquired under anesthesia, with or without sevoflurane and multiband factor 5 acceleration. Temporal signal-to-noise ratio (tSNR) was used as a measure of signal quality. For each patient, the scan was split in half, and seed-based connectivity maps were generated for the primary motor cortex (M1), posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), and subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC). Split-half spatial correlations were used to assess within-subject reliability. Group comparisons examined differences in tSNR and reliability across conditions, and correlations with scan duration were tested.
Results
Multiband acceleration was associated with significantly lower tSNR (U = 652.0, p = 8.9 × 10─6) and reduced split-half reliability for M1 (p = 0.019), PCC (p = 0.010), and sgACC (p = 0.0064). Sevoflurane showed no significant effect on tSNR or reliability. Longer scan duration correlated with improved reliability for M1 (r = 0.38, p = 0.003) but not for PCC or sgACC. No correlation was found between tSNR and reliability.
Conclusion
Hight multiband acceleration reduces both signal quality and reliability of rs-fMRI under anesthesia. Sevoflurane had no measurable effect. The lack of correlation between tSNR and reliability underscores the need for more robust metrics when evaluating scan quality.
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This post is Copyright: Masoud Hassanzadeh,
Alyssa Ailion,
Simon K. Warfield,
Taha Gholipour,
Shan Siddiqi,
Steven M. Stufflebeam,
Elmira Hassanzadeh | August 23, 2025
Wiley: Journal of Neuroimaging: Table of Contents