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PERSPECTIVE article
Front. Neuroinform.
Volume 18 - 2024 |
doi: 10.3389/fninf.2024.1420315
This article is part of the Research Topic Reproducible Analysis in Neuroscience View all 9 articles
Reproducible Brain PET Data Analysis: Easier Said Than Done
Provisionally accepted- 1 Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, United States
- 2 University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
While a great deal of recent effort has focused on addressing a perceived reproducibility crisis within brain structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and functional MRI research communities, this article argues that brain positron emission tomography (PET) research stands on even more fragile ground, lagging behind efforts to address MRI reproducibility. We begin by examining the current landscape of factors that contribute to reproducible neuroimaging data analysis, including scientific standards, analytic plan pre-registration, data and code sharing, containerized workflows, and standardized processing pipelines. We then focus on disparities in the current status of these factors between brain MRI and brain PET. To demonstrate the positive impact that further developing such reproducibility factors would have on brain PET research, we present a case study that illustrates the many challenges faced by one laboratory that attempted to reproduce a community-standard brain PET processing pipeline. We identified key areas in which the brain PET community could enhance reproducibility, including stricter reporting policies among PET dedicated journals, data repositories, containerized analysis tools, and standardized processing pipelines. Other solutions such as mandatory pre-registration, data sharing, code availability as a condition of grant funding, and online forums and standardized reporting templates, are also discussed. Bolstering these reproducibility factors within the brain PET research community has the potential to unlock the full potential of brain PET research, propelling it towards a higher-impact future.
Keywords: reproducibility, Neuroimaging, positron emission tomography, PET, reproducibility crisis
Received: 19 Apr 2024; Accepted: 06 Sep 2024.
Copyright: © 2024 Naseri, Ramakrishnapillai and Carmichael. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Maryam Naseri, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, United States
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