Evaluating test–retest reliability and sex‐/age‐related effects on temporal clustering coefficient of dynamic functional brain networks

• Published in: Human brain mapping Vol. 44; no. 6; pp. 2191 - 2208
• Main Authors: Long, Yicheng, Ouyang, Xuan, Yan, Chaogan, Wu, Zhipeng, Huang, Xiaojun, Pu, Weidan, Cao, Hengyi, Liu, Zhening, Palaniyappan, Lena
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, USA John Wiley & Sons, Inc 15.04.2023
• Subjects: Adult; Adults; Age; Algorithms; Brain; Brain - diagnostic imaging; Brain mapping; Cluster Analysis; Clustering; connectome; Connectome - methods; Correlation coefficient; Correlation coefficients; Datasets; dynamic brain network; dynamic functional connectivity; Dynamic stability; Evaluation; Female; Females; Flexibility; functional connectivity; Functional magnetic resonance imaging; Humans; Investigations; Magnetic resonance imaging; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Male; Multilayers; Networks; Neuroimaging; Reliability analysis; Reproducibility of Results; Sex; test–retest reliability; Young Adult; Young adults; dynamic functional connectivity; connectome; functional connectivity; test-retest reliability; dynamic brain network
• ISSN: 1065-9471; 1097-0193; 1097-0193
• DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26202

The multilayer dynamic network model has been proposed as an effective method to understand the brain function. In particular, derived from the definition of clustering coefficient in static networks, the temporal clustering coefficient provides a direct measure of the topological stability of dynamic brain networks and shows potential in predicting altered brain functions. However, test–retest reliability and demographic‐related effects on this measure remain to be evaluated. Using a data set from the Human Connectome Project (157 male and 180 female healthy adults; 22–37 years old), the present study investigated: (1) the test–retest reliability of temporal clustering coefficient across four repeated resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans as measured by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC); and (2) sex‐ and age‐related effects on temporal clustering coefficient. The results showed that (1) the temporal clustering coefficient had overall moderate test–retest reliability (ICC > 0.40 over a wide range of densities) at both global and subnetwork levels, (2) female subjects showed significantly higher temporal clustering coefficient than males at both global and subnetwork levels, particularly within the default‐mode and subcortical regions, and (3) temporal clustering coefficient of the subcortical subnetwork was positively correlated with age in young adults. The results of sex effects were robustly replicated in an independent REST‐meta‐MDD data set, while the results of age effects were not. Our findings suggest that the temporal clustering coefficient is a relatively reliable and reproducible approach for identifying individual differences in brain function, and provide evidence for demographically related effects on the human brain dynamic connectomes. This study investigated the test–retest reliability and demographic‐related effects on a newly introduced dynamic graph‐based metric called temporal clustering coefficient in human functional brain networks. The main findings included that (1) the temporal clustering coefficient had overall moderate test–retest reliability at both global and subnetwork levels; (2) female subjects showed significantly higher temporal clustering coefficient than males at both global and subnetwork levels, particularly within the default‐mode and subcortical regions; and (3) temporal clustering coefficient of the subcortical subnetwork was positively correlated with age in young adults.