Single subject fMRI test–retest reliability metrics and confounding factors

AbstractAuditory-evoked potentials have proven useful in the objective evaluation of sound encoding at different stages of the auditory pathway (brainstem and cortex). Yet, their utility for use in clinical assessment and empirical research relies critically on the precision and test–retest repeatability of the measure.To determine how subcortical/cortical classes of auditory neural responses directly compare in terms of their internal consistency and test–retest reliability within and between listeners.A descriptive cohort study describing the dispersion of electrophysiological measures.Eight young, normal-hearing female listeners.We recorded auditory brainstem responses (ABRs), brainstem frequency-following responses (FFRs), and cortical (P1-N1-P2) auditory-evoked potentials elicited by speech sounds in the same set of listeners. We reassessed responses within each of four different test sessions over a period of 1 mo, allowing us to detect possible changes in latency/amplitude characteristics with finer detail than in previous studies.Our findings show that brainstem and cortical amplitude/latency measures are remarkably stable; with the exception of slight prolongation of the P1 wave, we found no significant variation in any response measure. Intraclass correlation analysis revealed that the speech-evoked FFR amplitude and latency measures achieved superior repeatability (intraclass correlation coefficient >0.85) among the more widely used obligatory brainstem (ABR) and cortical (P1-N1-P2) auditory-evoked potentials. Contrasting these intersubject effects, intrasubject variability (i.e., within-subject coefficient of variation) revealed that while latencies were more stable than amplitudes, brainstem and cortical responses did not differ in their variability at the single subject level.We conclude that (1) the variability of auditory neural responses increases with ascending level along the auditory neuroaxis (cortex > brainstem) between subjects but remains highly stable within subjects and (2) speech-FFRs might provide a more stable measure of auditory function than other conventional responses (e.g., click-ABR), given their lower inter- and intrasubject variability.

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Test-Retest Reliability of fMRI During Nonverbal Semantic Decisions in Moderate-Severe Nonfluent Aphasia Patients

Behavioural Neurology ◽

10.1155/2004/974094 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 15 (3-4) ◽

pp. 87-97 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Jacquie Kurland ◽

Margaret A. Naeser ◽

Errol H. Baker ◽

Karl Doron ◽

Paula I. Martin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Critical Issue ◽

Neural Mechanisms ◽

Cortical Reorganization ◽

Computer Assisted ◽

Single Subject ◽

Retest Reliability ◽

Nonfluent Aphasia ◽

Language Recovery ◽

Test Retest Reliability ◽

Aphasia Recovery

Cortical reorganization in poststroke aphasia is not well understood. Few studies have investigated neural mechanisms underlying language recovery in severe aphasia patients, who are typically viewed as having a poor prognosis for language recovery. Although test-retest reliability is routinely demonstrated during collection of language data in single-subject aphasia research, this is rarely examined in fMRI studies investigating the underlying neural mechanisms in aphasia recovery.The purpose of this study was to acquire fMRI test-retest data examining semantic decisions both within and between two aphasia patients. Functional MRI was utilized to image individuals with chronic, moderate-severe nonfluent aphasia during nonverbal, yes/no button-box semantic judgments of iconic sentences presented in the Computer-assisted Visual Communication (C-ViC) program. We investigated the critical issue of intra-subject reliability by exploring similarities and differences in regions of activation during participants' performance of identical tasks twice on the same day. Each participant demonstrated high intra-subject reliability, with response decrements typical of task familiarity. Differences between participants included greater left hemisphere perilesional activation in the individual with better response to C-ViC training. This study provides fMRI reliability in chronic nonfluent aphasia, and adds to evidence supporting differences in individual cortical reorganization in aphasia recovery.

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Single‐subject morphological brain networks: connectivity mapping, topological characterization and test–retest reliability

Brain and Behavior ◽

10.1002/brb3.448 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 6 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Hao Wang ◽

Xiaoqing Jin ◽

Ye Zhang ◽

Jinhui Wang

Keyword(s):

Brain Networks ◽

Single Subject ◽

Topological Characterization ◽

Retest Reliability ◽

Connectivity Mapping ◽

Test Retest Reliability

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Surface-based Single-subject Morphological Brain Networks: Effects of Morphological Index, Brain Parcellation and Similarity Measure, Sample Size-varying Stability and Test-retest Reliability

NeuroImage ◽

10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118018 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 118018

Author(s):

Yinzhi Li ◽

Ningkai Wang ◽

Hao Wang ◽

Yating Lv ◽

Qihong Zou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sample Size ◽

Similarity Measure ◽

Brain Networks ◽

Single Subject ◽

Retest Reliability ◽

Morphological Index ◽

Test Retest Reliability

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Within Visit Test-Retest Reliability of EEG Profiles in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Typical Development

10.1101/834697 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

April R. Levin ◽

Adam J. Naples ◽

Aaron Wolfe Scheffler ◽

Sara J. Webb ◽

Frederick Shic ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Center Frequency ◽

Single Subject ◽

Short Term ◽

Retest Reliability ◽

Test Retest Reliability

AbstractBiomarker development is currently a high priority in neurodevelopmental disorder research. For many types of biomarkers (particularly biomarkers of diagnosis), reliability over short time periods is critically important. In the field of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), resting electroencephalography (EEG) power spectral densities (PSD) are well-studied for their potential as biomarkers. Classically, such data have been decomposed into pre-specified frequency bands (e.g., delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma). Recent technical advances, such as the Fitting Oscillations and One-Over-F (FOOOF) algorithm, allow for targeted characterization of the features that naturally emerge within an EEG PSD, permitting a more detailed characterization of the frequency band-agnostic shape of each individual’s EEG PSD. Here, using two resting EEGs collected a median of 6 days apart from 22 children with ASD and 25 typically developing (TD) controls during the Feasibility Visit of the Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials, we estimate within visit test-retest reliability based on characterization of the PSD shape in two ways: (1) Using the FOOOF algorithm we estimate six parameters (offset, slope, number of peaks, and amplitude, center frequency and bandwidth of the largest alpha peak) that characterize the shape of the EEG PSD; and (2) using nonparametric functional data analyses, we decompose the shape of the EEG PSD into a reduced set of basis functions that characterize individual power spectrum shapes. We show that individuals exhibit idiosyncratic PSD signatures that are stable over recording sessions using both characterizations. Our data show that EEG activity from a brief two-minute recording provides an efficient window into understanding brain activity at the single-subject level with desirable psychometric characteristics that persist across different analytical decomposition methods. This is a necessary step towards analytical validation of biomarkers based on the EEG PSD, and provides insights into parameters of the PSD that offer short-term reliability (and thus promise as potential biomarkers of trait or diagnosis) versus those that are more variable over the short term (and thus may index state or other rapidly dynamic measures of brain function). Future research should address longer-term stability of the PSD, for purposes such as monitoring development or response to treatment.

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Measuring “Language Access Profiles” in Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children With the DHH Language Exposure Assessment Tool

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/2020_jslhr-20-00439 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-25

Author(s):

Matthew L. Hall ◽

Stephanie De Anda

Keyword(s):

Cluster Analysis ◽

Exposure Assessment ◽

Hard Of Hearing ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Communication Mode ◽

Developmental Potential ◽

Language Access ◽

Retest Reliability ◽

Language Exposure ◽

Test Retest Reliability

Purpose The purposes of this study were (a) to introduce “language access profiles” as a viable alternative construct to “communication mode” for describing experience with language input during early childhood for deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children; (b) to describe the development of a new tool for measuring DHH children's language access profiles during infancy and toddlerhood; and (c) to evaluate the novelty, reliability, and validity of this tool. Method We adapted an existing retrospective parent report measure of early language experience (the Language Exposure Assessment Tool) to make it suitable for use with DHH populations. We administered the adapted instrument (DHH Language Exposure Assessment Tool [D-LEAT]) to the caregivers of 105 DHH children aged 12 years and younger. To measure convergent validity, we also administered another novel instrument: the Language Access Profile Tool. To measure test–retest reliability, half of the participants were interviewed again after 1 month. We identified groups of children with similar language access profiles by using hierarchical cluster analysis. Results The D-LEAT revealed DHH children's diverse experiences with access to language during infancy and toddlerhood. Cluster analysis groupings were markedly different from those derived from more traditional grouping rules (e.g., communication modes). Test–retest reliability was good, especially for the same-interviewer condition. Content, convergent, and face validity were strong. Conclusions To optimize DHH children's developmental potential, stakeholders who work at the individual and population levels would benefit from replacing communication mode with language access profiles. The D-LEAT is the first tool that aims to measure this novel construct. Despite limitations that future work aims to address, the present results demonstrate that the D-LEAT represents progress over the status quo.

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Visual-Neural Correlate of Speechreading Ability in Normal-Hearing Adults

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/jshr.2504.521 ◽

1982 ◽

Vol 25 (4) ◽

pp. 521-527 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

David C. Shepherd

Keyword(s):

Normal Hearing ◽

Wave Form ◽

Firing Time ◽

Neural Firing ◽

Neural Correlate ◽

Retest Reliability ◽

Repeated Word ◽

Negative Peak ◽

The Stability ◽

Test Retest Reliability

In 1977, Shepherd and colleagues reported significant correlations (–.90, –.91) between speechreading scores and the latency of a selected negative peak (VN 130 measure) on the averaged visual electroencephalic wave form. The primary purpose of this current study was to examine the stability, or repeatability, of this relation between these cognitive and neurophysiologic measures over a period of several months and thus support its test-retest reliability. Repeated speechreading word and sentence scores were gathered during three test-retest sessions from each of 20 normal-hearing adults. An average of 56 days occurred from the end of one to the beginning of another speechreading sessions. During each of four other test-retest sessions, averaged visual electroencephalic responses (AVER s ) were evoked from each subject. An average of 49 clays intervened between AVER sessions. Product-moment correlations computed among repeated word scores and VN l30 measures ranged from –.61 to –.89. Based on these findings, it was concluded that the VN l30 measure of visual neural firing time is a reliable correlate of speech-reading in normal-hearing adults.

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Test-Retest Reliability of a Self-Report Questionnaire for DSM-IV and ICD-10 Personality Disorders

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027//1015-5759.16.1.53 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 53-58 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Hans Ottosson ◽

Martin Grann ◽

Gunnar Kullgren

Keyword(s):

Personality Disorder ◽

Anxiety Disorders ◽

Personality Disorders ◽

Clinical Sample ◽

Self Report ◽

Anxiety State ◽

Short Term ◽

Retest Reliability ◽

Axis I ◽

Test Retest Reliability

Summary: Short-term stability or test-retest reliability of self-reported personality traits is likely to be biased if the respondent is affected by a depressive or anxiety state. However, in some studies, DSM-oriented self-reported instruments have proved to be reasonably stable in the short term, regardless of co-occurring depressive or anxiety disorders. In the present study, we examined the short-term test-retest reliability of a new self-report questionnaire for personality disorder diagnosis (DIP-Q) on a clinical sample of 30 individuals, having either a depressive, an anxiety, or no axis-I disorder. Test-retest scorings from subjects with depressive disorders were mostly unstable, with a significant change in fulfilled criteria between entry and retest for three out of ten personality disorders: borderline, avoidant and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. Scorings from subjects with anxiety disorders were unstable only for cluster C and dependent personality disorder items. In the absence of co-morbid depressive or anxiety disorders, mean dimensional scores of DIP-Q showed no significant differences between entry and retest. Overall, the effect from state on trait scorings was moderate, and it is concluded that test-retest reliability for DIP-Q is acceptable.

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