All signals considered: Data quality partially explains inter-individual task differences in a large, open fNIRS dataset
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
Abstract
Abstract Significance High inter-subject variability and limited reproducibility in functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) research may partly reflect global systemic physiology and signal quality differences, possibly distorting task-evoked hemodynamic responses. Aim We investigate how signal quality relates to inter-subject variability in motor-task fNIRS responses and introduce a large, open, multi-task, near whole-head fNIRS dataset with extensive peripheral physiology and short-channel recordings. Approach Fifty-seven participants completed resting-state, motor action, motor imagery, emotion recognition, visual, and auditory tasks during fNIRS recording. Peripheral measures included pulse oximetry, heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, respiration, room temperature, galvanic skin response, electrocardiogram, and electromyography. Signal quality was assessed using the scalp coupling index (SCI), coefficient of variation (CV), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and a spectral measure here coined the coupling SNR (cSNR). Results Quality metrics were weakly to moderately correlated, except SNR and CV, which showed the expected inverse relationship. All quality metrics were significantly related to channel length and associated with task-related activation estimates. Group-level analyses validated activation in expected task-related regions. Conclusions The assessed metrics capture complementary features of fNIRS signal quality and may help explain individual activation differences. The dataset provides a comprehensive, open resource enabling future evaluation of physiological correction methods and confound mitigation.
Authors 19
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Sophie Raible corresponding
Affiliation as printed
Maastricht University, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Maastricht University · University of Coimbra
Affiliation as printed
Maastricht University, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Maastricht, The Netherlands
University of Coimbra, Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), Coimbra, Portugal
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Affiliation as printed
Maastricht University, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
University of Coimbra, Centre for Informatics and Systems of the University of Coimbra (CISUC), Coimbra, Portugal
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Affiliation as printed
University of Coimbra, Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), Coimbra, Portugal
University of Coimbra, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Physiology, Coimbra, Portugal
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Affiliation as printed
Maastricht University, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
Maastricht University, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
Maastricht University, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
Maastricht University, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Maastricht University · Brain Innovation (Netherlands)
Affiliation as printed
Brain Innovation B.V., Maastricht, Netherlands
Maastricht University, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
NIRx Medical Technologies, Berlin, Germany
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Affiliation as printed
Maastricht University, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
Maastricht University, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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University of Münster · Universitätsklinikum Aachen · RWTH Aachen University
Affiliation as printed
Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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Forschungszentrum Jülich · RWTH Aachen University
Affiliation as printed
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
Translational Neuroscience, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-10), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
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Affiliation as printed
University of Coimbra, Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), Coimbra, Portugal
University of Coimbra, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Physiology, Coimbra, Portugal
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Maastricht University · Brain Innovation (Netherlands)
Affiliation as printed
Brain Innovation B.V., Maastricht, Netherlands
Maastricht University, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Maastricht University · Brain Innovation (Netherlands)
Affiliation as printed
Brain Innovation B.V., Maastricht, Netherlands
Maastricht University, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
Maastricht University, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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