TY - JOUR
T1 - Test-retest reliability of pain-related functional brain connectivity compared with pain self-report
AU - Letzen, Janelle E.
AU - Boissoneault, Jeff
AU - Sevel, Landrew S.
AU - Robinson, Michael E.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health through grants to Dr. Michael E. Robinson (R01AT001424-05A2) and Janelle E. Letzen (F31AT007898-01A2). Dr. Jeff Boissoneault was supported by a training grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (T32NS045551) to the University of Florida Pain Research and Intervention Center of Excellence.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 International Association for the Study of Pain.
PY - 2016/3/1
Y1 - 2016/3/1
N2 - Test-retest reliability, or reproducibility of results over time, is poorly established for functional brain connectivity (fcMRI) during painful stimulation. As reliability informs the validity of research findings, it is imperative to examine, especially given recent emphasis on using functional neuroimaging as a tool for biomarker development. Although proposed pain neural signatures have been derived using complex, multivariate algorithms, even the reliability of less complex fcMRI findings has yet to be reported. This study examined the test-retest reliability for fcMRI of pain-related brain regions, and self-reported pain (through visual analogue scales [VASs]). Thirty-two healthy individuals completed 3 consecutive fMRI runs of a thermal pain task. Functional connectivity analyses were completed on pain-related brain regions. Intraclass correlations were conducted on fcMRI values and VAS scores across the fMRI runs. Intraclass correlations coefficients for fcMRI values varied widely (range -.174-.766), with fcMRI between right nucleus accumbens and medial prefrontal cortex showing the highest reliability (range .649-.766). Intraclass correlations coefficients for VAS scores ranged from.906 to.947. Overall, self-reported pain was more reliable than fcMRI data. These results highlight that fMRI findings might be less reliable than inherently assumed and have implications for future studies proposing pain markers.
AB - Test-retest reliability, or reproducibility of results over time, is poorly established for functional brain connectivity (fcMRI) during painful stimulation. As reliability informs the validity of research findings, it is imperative to examine, especially given recent emphasis on using functional neuroimaging as a tool for biomarker development. Although proposed pain neural signatures have been derived using complex, multivariate algorithms, even the reliability of less complex fcMRI findings has yet to be reported. This study examined the test-retest reliability for fcMRI of pain-related brain regions, and self-reported pain (through visual analogue scales [VASs]). Thirty-two healthy individuals completed 3 consecutive fMRI runs of a thermal pain task. Functional connectivity analyses were completed on pain-related brain regions. Intraclass correlations were conducted on fcMRI values and VAS scores across the fMRI runs. Intraclass correlations coefficients for fcMRI values varied widely (range -.174-.766), with fcMRI between right nucleus accumbens and medial prefrontal cortex showing the highest reliability (range .649-.766). Intraclass correlations coefficients for VAS scores ranged from.906 to.947. Overall, self-reported pain was more reliable than fcMRI data. These results highlight that fMRI findings might be less reliable than inherently assumed and have implications for future studies proposing pain markers.
KW - Functional Connectivity
KW - Test-Retest Reliability
KW - Thermal Pain
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U2 - 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000000356
DO - 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000000356
M3 - Article
C2 - 26371795
AN - SCOPUS:84962046046
SN - 0304-3959
VL - 157
SP - 546
EP - 551
JO - Pain
JF - Pain
IS - 3
ER -