How representative are neuroimaging samples? Large-scale evidence for trait anxiety differences between fMRI and behaviour-only research participants.

Abstract

Over the past three decades, functional MRI (fMRI) has become key to study how cognitive processes are implemented in the human brain. However, the question of whether participants recruited into fMRI studies differ from participants recruited into other study contexts has received little to no attention. This is particularly pertinent when effects fail to generalize across study contexts: for example, a behavioural effect discovered in a non-imaging context not replicating in a neuroimaging environment. Here, we tested the hypothesis, motivated by preliminary findings (n=272), that fMRI participants differ from behaviour-only participants on one fundamental individual difference variable: trait anxiety. Analysing a large-scale dataset drawn from multiple institutions (n=3317) and including possible confounding variables, we found robust support for lower trait anxiety in fMRI study participants, consistent with a sampling or self-selection bias. The bias was larger in studies that relied on phone screening (compared to full in-person psychiatric screening), recruited at least partly from convenience samples (compared to community samples), and in pharmacology studies. Our findings highlight the need for surveying trait anxiety at recruitment and for appropriate screening procedures or sampling strategies to mitigate this bias.

Authors 35

1. Caroline Juliette Charpentier

   California Institute of Technology · University College London

   Affiliation as printed

   California Institute of Technology , Pasadena , CA , USA

   Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience , University College London , London , UK

   California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA

   Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK

2. Paul Faulkner

   University of Roehampton

   Affiliation as printed

   University of Roehampton , London , UK

   University of Roehampton, London, UK

3. Eva R. Pool

   University of Geneva

   Affiliation as printed

   University of Geneva , Geneva , Switzerland

   University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland

4. Verena Ly Aachen

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Dept of Clinical Psychology , Leiden University ; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition , Leiden , the Netherlands

   Dept of Clinical Psychology, Leiden University; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands

5. Marieke S. Tollenaar Aachen

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Dept of Clinical Psychology , Leiden University ; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition , Leiden , the Netherlands

   Dept of Clinical Psychology, Leiden University; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands

6. Lisa Marieke Kluen

   California Institute of Technology

   Affiliation as printed

   California Institute of Technology , Pasadena , CA , USA

   California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA

7. Aniek Fransen

   California Institute of Technology

   Affiliation as printed

   California Institute of Technology , Pasadena , CA , USA

   California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA

8. Yumeya Yamamori

   University College London

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience , University College London , London , UK

   Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK

9. Níall Lally

   University College London

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience , University College London , London , UK

   Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK

10. Anahit Mkrtchian

    University College London

    Affiliation as printed

    Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience , University College London , London , UK

    Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK

11. Vincent Valton

    University College London

    Affiliation as printed

    Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience , University College London , London , UK

    Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK

12. Quentin J. M. Huys

    University College London

    Affiliation as printed

    Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience , University College London , London , UK

    Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK

13. Ioannis Sarigiannidis

    University College London

    Affiliation as printed

    Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience , University College London , London , UK

    Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK

14. Kelly Morrow

    University of Maryland, College Park

    Affiliation as printed

    University of Maryland , College Park , MD , USA

    University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA

15. Valentina Krenz

    Universität Hamburg

    Affiliation as printed

    University of Hamburg , Hamburg , Germany

    University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

16. Felix Kalbe

    Universität Hamburg

    Affiliation as printed

    University of Hamburg , Hamburg , Germany

    University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

17. Gundula Zerbes

    Universität Hamburg

    Affiliation as printed

    University of Hamburg , Hamburg , Germany

    University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

18. Franziska Magdalena Kausche

    Universität Hamburg

    Affiliation as printed

    University of Hamburg , Hamburg , Germany

    University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

19. Nadine Wanke

    Universität Hamburg

    Affiliation as printed

    University of Hamburg , Hamburg , Germany

    University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

20. Alessio Giarrizzo

    University of Geneva

    Affiliation as printed

    University of Geneva , Geneva , Switzerland

    University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland

21. Erdem Pulcu

    University of Oxford

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept of Psychiatry , University of Oxford , Oxford , UK

    Dept of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

22. Susannah Elinor Murphy

    Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust · University of Oxford

    Affiliation as printed

    University of Oxford

    Dept of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Oxford Health NHS Trust, Oxford, UK

23. Alexander Kaltenboeck

    University of Oxford · Medical University of Vienna

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept of Psychiatry , University of Oxford , Oxford , UK

    Dept of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy , Clinical Division of Social Psychiatry , Medical University of Vienna , Austria

    Dept of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Clinical Division of Social Psychiatry, Medical University of Vienna, Austria

    Dept of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

24. Michael D Browning

    Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust · University of Oxford

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept of Psychiatry , University of Oxford , Oxford , UK

    Oxford Health NHS Trust , Oxford , UK

    Dept of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Oxford Health NHS Trust, Oxford, UK

25. Lynn K. Paul

    California Institute of Technology

    Affiliation as printed

    California Institute of Technology , Pasadena , CA , USA

    California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA

26. Roshan Cools

    Radboud University Nijmegen · Radboud University Medical Center · Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept of Psychiatry , Radboud University Medical Centre , Nijmegen , the Netherlands

    Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behaviour , Radboud University , Nijmegen , the Netherlands

    Dept of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands

    Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands

27. Karin Roelofs

    Radboud University Nijmegen · Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour

    Affiliation as printed

    Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behaviour , Radboud University , Nijmegen , the Netherlands

    Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands

28. Luiz Pessoa

    University of Maryland, College Park

    Affiliation as printed

    University of Maryland , College Park , MD , USA

    University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA

29. Catherine J. Harmer corresponding

    Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust · University of Oxford

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept of Psychiatry , University of Oxford , Oxford , UK

    Oxford Health NHS Trust , Oxford , UK

    Dept of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Oxford Health NHS Trust, Oxford, UK

30. Henry W. Chase

    University of Pittsburgh

    Affiliation as printed

    Dept of Psychiatry , University of Pittsburgh , Pittsburgh , PA , USA

    Dept of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

31. Christian Grillon

    National Institute of Mental Health

    Affiliation as printed

    National Institute of Mental Health , Bethesda , MD , USA

    National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

32. Lars Schwabe

    Universität Hamburg

    Affiliation as printed

    University of Hamburg , Hamburg , Germany

    University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

33. Jonathan Paul Roiser

    University College London

    Affiliation as printed

    Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience , University College London , London , UK

    Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK

34. Oliver Joe Robinson

    University College London

    Affiliation as printed

    Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience , University College London , London , UK

    Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK

35. John V. O’Doherty

    California Institute of Technology

    Affiliation as printed

    California Institute of Technology , Pasadena , CA , USA

    California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA