Prospective motion correction of high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging data in children

• Published in: NeuroImage (Orlando, Fla.) Vol. 53; no. 1; pp. 139 - 145
• Main Authors: Brown, Timothy T., Kuperman, Joshua M., Erhart, Matthew, White, Nathan S., Roddey, J. Cooper, Shankaranarayanan, Ajit, Han, Eric T., Rettmann, Dan, Dale, Anders M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 15.10.2010; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Age; Algorithms; Brain - anatomy & histology; Brain research; Child; Female; Humans; Image Enhancement - methods; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted - methods; Male; Motion; Neurosciences; NMR; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Pattern Recognition, Automated - methods; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity; Studies
• ISSN: 1053-8119; 1095-9572; 1095-9572
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.06.017

Motion artifacts pose significant problems for the acquisition and analysis of high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging data. These artifacts can be particularly severe when studying pediatric populations, where greater patient movement reduces the ability to clearly view and reliably measure anatomy. In this study, we tested the effectiveness of a new prospective motion correction technique, called PROMO, as applied to making neuroanatomical measures in typically developing school-age children. This method attempts to address the problem of motion at its source by keeping the measurement coordinate system fixed with respect to the subject throughout image acquisition. The technique also performs automatic rescanning of images that were acquired during intervals of particularly severe motion. Unlike many previous techniques, this approach adjusts for both in-plane and through-plane movement, greatly reducing image artifacts without the need for additional equipment. Results show that the use of PROMO notably enhances subjective image quality, reduces errors in Freesurfer cortical surface reconstructions, and significantly improves the subcortical volumetric segmentation of brain structures. Further applications of PROMO for clinical and cognitive neuroscience are discussed. ►In this study, we tested the effectiveness of a new prospective motion correction technique as applied to making neuroanatomical measures in school-age children, a movement-prone population. Our method attempts to address the problem of motion at its source by keeping the measurement coordinate system fixed with respect to the subject throughout image acquisition. Unlike many previous techniques, this approach can adjust for both in-plane and through-plane movement, greatly reducing image artifacts without the need for additional equipment. We believe the development of this technique will be of significant interest to many different types of scientists and clinicians, spanning neuroscience, psychology, neurology, and radiology.