Reproducibility of fMRI-Determined Language Lateralization in Individual Subjects

Visual half-field experiments are a good measure of cerebral language dominance if used properly: Evidence from fMRI

“…Each laterality index (fMRI LI) was derived by the formula The above method for LI calculation has been applied successfully in several studies (e.g., Knecht et al, 2003;Rutten, Ramsey, van Rijen & van Veelen, 2002) and can be used to reliably identify hemispheric dominance for language. There is a debate, however, regarding the reproducibility of the degree of laterality indicated in the LI values.…”

The role of functional magnetic resonance imaging in brain surgery

“…52,81 When a patient undergoes imaging twice with the same protocol using the same imaging unit, the activation maps will not be exactly the same. 83 Some of the factors that contribute to this variability are known, such as fieldstrength or imaging unit type and artifacts due to movements (for example, respiration and cardiovascular pulsation); these factors can to some extent be controlled in data analysis. Part of the test-retest variation is, however, caused by yet unknown factors.…”

“…For clinical use of fMR imaging, there are some strategies to increase the reliability and detection power of brain activation maps. 26,81,83 Absence of activation is another important issue to consider. Failure to detect activity can be caused by several factors, some of which are difficult or impossible to control.…”

Test–retest study of fMRI signal change evoked by electroacupuncture stimulation

“…Researchers have begun to investigate test-retest reliability of fMRI BOLD signal changes evoked by paradigms ranging from simple sensory motor tasks such as finger tapping and visual simulation to more complex cognitive paradigms such as auditory oddball stimulation, working memory and learning tasks (Casey et al, 1998;Machielsen et al, 2000;McGonigle et al, 2000;Waldvogel et al, 2000;Loubinoux et al, 2001;Rutten et al, 2002;Kurland et al, 2004;Marshall et al, 2004;Wei et al, 2004;Havel et al, 2005;Wagner et al, 2005;Yoo et al, 2005;Aron et al, 2006). For instance, several studies have used the finger-tapping task (Yetkin et al, 1996;McGonigle et al, 2000;Waldvogel et al, 2000;Liu et al, 2004a;Smith et al, 2005;Yoo et al, 2005), one of the most widely used tasks in fMRI studies, to investigate the reliability of fMRI signal changes.…”