scholarly journals The reliability of the isotropic fractionator method for counting total cells and neurons

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kleber Neves ◽  
Daniel Menezes ◽  
Danielle Rayêe ◽  
Bruna Valério-Gomes ◽  
Pamela Meneses Iack ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Cortex ◽  
Methodological Error ◽  
List Type ◽  
Cellular Composition ◽  
Retest Reliability ◽  
Cell Counts ◽  
Isotropic Fractionator ◽  
Sources Of Variation ◽  
Test Retest Reliability ◽  
Different Sources

AbstractBackgroundThe Isotropic Fractionator (IF) is a method used to determine the cellular composition of nervous tissue. It has been mostly applied to assess variation across species, where differences are expected to be large enough not to be masked by methodological error. However, understanding the sources of variation in the method is important if the goal is to detect smaller differences, for example, in same-species comparisons. Comparisons between different mice strains suggest that the IF is consistent enough to detected these differences. Nevertheless, the internal validity of the method has not yet been examined directly.MethodIn this study, we evaluate the reliability of the IF method for the determination of cellular and neuronal numbers. We performed repeated cell counts of the same material by different experimenters to quantify different sources of variation.ResultsIn total cell counts, we observed that for the cerebral cortex most of the variance was at the counter level. For the cerebellum, most of the variance is attributed to the sample itself. As for neurons, random error along with the immunological staining correspond to most of the variation, both in the cerebral cortex and in the cerebellum. Test-retest reliability coefficients were relatively high, especially for cell counts.ConclusionsAlthough biases between counters and random variation in staining could be problematic when aggregating data from different sources, we offer practical suggestions to improve the reliability of the method. While small, this study is a most needed step towards more precise measurement of the brain’s cellular composition.HighlightsMost variance in cell counts was between counters (η = 0.58) for cerebral cortices.For cerebella, most of the variance was attributed to the samples (η = 0.49).Variance in immunocytochemical counts was mostly residual/random (η > 0.8).Test-retest reliability was high (same counter, same sample).Practical suggestions are offered to improve the reliability of the method.

scholarly journals Intra-session test-retest reliability of functional connectivity in infants

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yun Wang ◽  
Walter Hinds ◽  
Cristiane S Duarte ◽  
Seonjoo Lee ◽  
Catherine Monk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Functional Organization ◽  
List Type ◽  
Whole Brain ◽  
Retest Reliability ◽  
Spatial Similarity ◽  
Developmental Neuroscience ◽  
Reliability Estimates ◽  
Infant Brain ◽  
Test Retest Reliability

AbstractResting functional MRI studies of the infant brain are increasingly becoming an important tool in developmental neuroscience. Whereas the test-retest reliability of functional connectivity (FC) measures derived from resting fMRI data have been characterized in the adult and child brain, similar assessments have not been conducted in infants. In this study, we examined the intra-session test-retest reliability of FC measures from 119 infant brain MRI scans from four neurodevelopmental studies. We investigated edge-level and subject-level reliability within one MRI session (between and within runs) measured by the Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). First, using an atlas-based approach, we examined whole-brain connectivity as well as connectivity within two common resting fMRI networks – the default mode network (DMN) and the sensorimotor network (SMN). Second, we examined the influence of run duration, study site, and scanning manufacturer (e.g., Philips and General Electric) on ICCs. Lastly, we tested spatial similarity using the Jaccard Index from networks derived from independent component analysis (ICA). Consistent with resting fMRI studies from adults, our findings indicated poor edge-level reliability (ICC = 0.14 - 0.18), but moderate-to-good subject-level intra-session reliability for whole-brain, DMN, and SMN connectivity (ICC = 0.40 - 0.78). We also found significant effects of run duration, site, and scanning manufacturer on reliability estimates. Some ICA-derived networks showed strong spatial reproducibility (e.g., DMN, SMN, and Visual Network), and were labelled based on their spatial similarity to analogous networks measured in adults. These networks were reproducibly found across different study studies. However, other ICA-networks (e.g. Executive Control Network) did not show strong spatial reproducibility, suggesting that the reliability and/or maturational course of functional connectivity may vary by network. In sum, our findings suggest that developmental scientist may be on safe ground examining the functional organization of some major neural networks (e.g. DMN and SMN), but judicious interpretation of functional connectivity is essential to its ongoing success.HighlightsInfant functional connectivity (FC) shows poor edge-level reliability (ICCs)However, subject-level infant FC estimates show good-to-excellent ICCsSpatial reproducibility is better for some resting networks (DMN, SMN) than others (ECN)Reliability estimates differ across study site and MRI scannerConclusion - Infant FC can be a reliable measurement, but judicious use is needed

scholarly journals One-week test-retest reliability of nine binocular tests and saccades used in concussion

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Long ◽  
Tibor Schuster ◽  
Russell Steele ◽  
Suzanne Leclerc ◽  
Ian Shrier
Keyword(s):  
Binocular Vision ◽  
Visual Function ◽  
Ocular Motility ◽  
List Type ◽  
Limits Of Agreement ◽  
Retest Reliability ◽  
Motor Test ◽  
The One ◽  
Test Retest Reliability ◽  
Healthy Participants

AbstractBackgroundTests of binocular vision (BVTs) and ocular motility are used in concussion assessment and management.PurposeTo determine the one-week test-retest reliability of 9 binocular vision tests (BVTs) and a test of saccades proposed for use in concussion management.Study DesignProspective test-retest.MethodsWe examined the one-week test-retest reliability of 9 BVTs in healthy participants: 3D vision (gross stereoscopic acuity), phoria at 30cm and 3m, ability of eyes to move/fixate in-sync (positive and negative fusional vergence at 30cm and 3m, near point of convergence and near point of convergence – break [i.e. double vision]) and 1 ocular motor test, saccades.ResultsWe tested 10 males and 10 females without concussion and a mean age of 25.5 (4.1) years. The intraclass correlations suggest good reliability for phoria 3m (0.88) and gross stereoscopic acuity (0.86), and moderate reliability for phoria 30cm (0.69), near point of convergence (0.54), positive fusional vergence (0.54) and negative fusional vergence (0.66) at 30cm, and near point of convergence - break (0.64). There was poor reliability for saccades (0.34), and both positive and negative fusional vergence (0.49 and 0.43, respectively) at 3m. Limits of agreement (LoA) were best for saccade (±34%) and worst for phoria 30 cm (±121%) and ranged from ±58% to ±70% for 7 of the 8 other tests. The LoA for phoria at 3m were uninformative because measurements for 18 of 20 participants were identical.ConclusionWe found test-retest reliability of the BVTs and saccades ranging from poor to good in healthy participants, with the majority being moderate.Clinical RelevanceFor these vision tests to be clinically useful, the effect of concussion must have a moderate to large effect on the scores of most of the tests.What is known about the subjectConcussions may affect some parts of visual function1-week test-retest reliability for most visual tests is under-studiedWhat this study adds to existing knowledgeWe provide intra-class coefficients and limits of agreement for 10 different visual function tests commonly conducted by clinicians in patients with concussion.

scholarly journals Reproducibility Assessment of Neuromelanin-Sensitive Magnetic Resonance Imaging Protocols for Region-of-Interest and Voxelwise Analyses

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth Wengler ◽  
Xiang He ◽  
Anissa Abi-Dargham ◽  
Guillermo Horga
Keyword(s):  
High Reliability ◽  
Region Of Interest ◽  
Dopamine Neurons ◽  
Psychiatric Disease ◽  
Acquisition Time ◽  
Slice Thickness ◽  
List Type ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Retest Reliability ◽  
Test Retest Reliability

AbstractNeuromelanin-sensitive MRI (NM-MRI) provides a noninvasive measure of the content of neuromelanin (NM), a product of dopamine metabolism that accumulates with age in dopamine neurons of the substantia nigra (SN). NM-MRI has been validated as a measure of both dopamine neuron loss, with applications in neurodegenerative disease, and dopamine function, with applications in psychiatric disease. Furthermore, a voxelwise-analysis approach has been validated to resolve substructures, such as the ventral tegmental area (VTA), within midbrain dopaminergic nuclei thought to have distinct anatomical targets and functional roles. NM-MRI is thus a promising tool that could have diverse research and clinical applications to noninvasively interrogate in vivo the dopamine system in neuropsychiatric illness. Although a test-retest reliability study by Langley et al. using the standard NM-MRI protocol recently reported high reliability, a systematic and comprehensive investigation of the performance of the method for various acquisition parameters and preprocessing methods has not been conducted. In particular, most previous studies used relatively thick MRI slices (∼3 mm), compared to the typical in-plane resolution (∼0.5 mm) and to the height of the SN (∼15 mm), to overcome technical limitations such as specific absorption rate and signal-to-noise ratio, at the cost of partial-volume effects. Here, we evaluated the effect of various acquisition and preprocessing parameters on the strength and test-retest reliability of the NM-MRI signal to determine optimized protocols for both region-of-interest (including whole SN/VTA-complex and atlas-defined dopaminergic nuclei) and voxelwise measures. Namely, we determined a combination of parameters that optimizes the strength and reliability of the NM-MRI signal, including acquisition time, slice-thickness, spatial-normalization software, and degree of spatial smoothing. Using a newly developed, detailed acquisition protocol, across two scans separated by 13 days on average, we obtained intra-class correlation values indicating excellent reliability and high contrast-to-noise, which could be achieved with a different set of parameters depending on the measures of interest and experimental constraints such as acquisition time. Based on this, we provide detailed guidelines covering acquisition through analysis and recommendations for performing NM-MRI experiments with high quality and reproducibility. This work provides a foundation for the optimization and standardization of NM-MRI, a promising MRI approach with growing applications throughout clinical and basic neuroscience.HighlightsA detailed NM-MRI volume placement protocol is described.Guidelines covering acquisition through analysis for NM-MRI are given.A test-retest study in 10 healthy subjects shows high reproducibility for region-of-interest (ROI) and voxelwise analyses.∼3 minutes of NM-MRI data is needed for high-quality ROI-analysis.∼6 minutes of NM-MRI data is needed for high-quality voxelwise-analysis.

scholarly journals Nepalese version of Douleur Neuropathique 4 (DN4) questionnaire for Assessment of Neuropathic pain: A Validation Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bigen M Shakya ◽  
Anil Shrestha ◽  
Amod K Poudyal ◽  
Ninadini Shrestha ◽  
Binita Acharya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neuropathic Pain ◽  
Internal Consistency ◽  
Negative Likelihood Ratio ◽  
Internal Consistency Reliability ◽  
List Type ◽  
Operating Characteristics ◽  
Predictive Values ◽  
Retest Reliability ◽  
Pain Clinics ◽  
Test Retest Reliability

AbstractObjectiveThis study aimed to translate and validate DN4 questionnaire into Nepalese version.DesignAn observational study design was adopted.SettingA tertiary level teaching hospital of Kathmandu, NepalParticipantsWe included 166 purposively selected patients visiting pain clinics of the hospital over one year timeMethodsThe Nepalese version of the DN4 questionnaire was used to detect neuropathic pain among the chronic pain patients of the hospital. The English version of the questionnaire was translated into Nepali based on the standard guideline with the help of linguistic experts. The patients diagnosed with nociceptive or neuropathic pain were interviewed twice in two weeks interval. We analyzed test-retest reliability and strength of the test by using Intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) Curve, respectively. Internal Consistency reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha (∞). Diagnostic accuracy was assessed through measures like sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and positive and negative likelihood ratio.ResultsThe study showed a good test-retest reliability (ICC=0.877) and internal consistency reliability (∞=0.710). The AUC were 0.932 (0.894-0.971) for the first test, and 0.955 (0.921-0.990) for the second test. The sensitivity and specificity values were found highest at the 4 cut-off point (4 score out of 10), that are 75% and 95.3% for test 1, and 76.2% and 98.8% for test 2. Similarly positive and negative predictive values are 93.8% and 80.4% respectively for the first test and 98.4% and 81.7% respectively for the second test.ConclusionsThe Nepalese version of DN4 questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool for the diagnosis of neuropathic pain. This can be used for screening neuropathic and non-neuropathic pain in clinical as well as epidemiological settings.Article SummaryStrengths and Limitations of this StudyThis study validated Nepalese version of DN4 questionnaire, so, it can be used as a standard tool to assess neuropathic pain among the Nepalese population.As interview was conducted with the patients, this might minimize the reliability and validity issue.This questionnaire is only applicable to those who can communicate properly in Nepalese language.There can be problem of understanding among the participants as few words do not have exact Nepali words with the same meaning.

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

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.

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

1982 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 521-527 ◽  
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.

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

2000 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-58 ◽  
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.

The Psychometrics of Three Dissociation Scales: Test-Retest, Reliability, and Relationship to Trauma

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen M. Dahlin-James ◽  
Emily J. Hennrich ◽  
E. Grace Verbeck-Priest ◽  
Jan E. Estrellado ◽  
Jessica M. Stevens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Retest Reliability ◽  
Test Retest Reliability

Test-retest reliability and practice effects of a computerized neuropsychological battery: A solution-oriented approach.

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (12) ◽  
pp. 1652-1662 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie J. M. Rijnen ◽  
Sophie D. van der Linden ◽  
Wilco H. M. Emons ◽  
Margriet M. Sitskoorn ◽  
Karin Gehring
Keyword(s):  
Practice Effects ◽  
Neuropsychological Battery ◽  
Retest Reliability ◽  
Test Retest Reliability ◽  
Oriented Approach
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document