FBIRN:Aims and Goals of FBIRN

Overview of the FBIRN Project

Multi-site studies can ameliorate the problem of inadequate sampling in medical research. To take advantage of the power of multi-site studies, variability across sites must be addressed. Variability in imaging equipment, data acquisition and analysis, and patient assessment compromise the value of multi-site imaging datasets. Completion of the technical and clinical goals of this proposal will enable researchers to tap the power of large-scale, multi-site neuroimaging studies.

The major goal of the FBIRN is to develop tools to make multi-site functional MRI studies a common research practice. The data collection, sharing and analysis tools developed in the previous funding period will be enhanced and validated in a series of developmental steps. The rigor demanded by the study of schizophrenia is an appropriate environment to develop such powerful clinical tools and methodologies.

In the achievement of the major goal, FBIRN will further test identified neural dysfunctions in schizophrenia. We test these dysfunctions using robust cognitive imaging tasks in a well-characterized, multi-site, representative sample of schizophrenia and control subjects.
Representative samples are required to determine the generalizability of single site findings, especially in complex illnesses such as schizophrenia in which racial, gender, socio-economic, and treatment setting differences can influence findings.

In completing these goals, FBIRN will provide a large, multi-site, publicly available data repository rich in fMRI, structural imaging and clinical data so that the research community can develop and test novel hypotheses.

FBIRN’s preliminary data demonstrate that intersite imaging differences can be so substantial that the value of multi-site imaging collaborations is in question. FBIRN has taken initial and successful steps toward reducing the impact of these differences in both controls and schizophrenia patients. FBIRN is now positioned to develop and deliver methods that will realize the full potential of multi-site neuroimaging studies.

The five FBIRN aims are tied to the technical and clinical goals of the proposal and build on the progress and success realized in the first funding period. These aims are designed for studies of schizophrenia initially but will be applicable to other complex diseases, in keeping with BIRN’s commitment to the broader scientific community. They are:

• Calibration: Assess and correct for the major sources of variation in multi-site fMRI studies
• Cognitive Tasks: Develop robust protocols suitable for multi-site fMRI studies
• Analysis: Develop methods to analyze multi-site fMRI data
• Tools: Develop a scalable IT application toolkit to support multi-site fMRI studies
• Dissemination: Make the tools, procedures, and collected datasets widely available