Test-Retest Reliability of Spinal Cord fMRI in Healthy Participants

Patrick W. Stroman¹, Rachael L. Bosma¹, Christine Dobek¹, Michaela Beynon¹

Verification of the reliability of functional maps obtained with spinal cord fMRI in individuals is necessary before this method can be used for clinical studies of the effects of injury or disease on spinal cord function. A study of the test-retest consistency of activity detected in the spinal cord in response to thermal sensory stimulation was carried out in 11 healthy participants. Results demonstrate that activity maps are reliable in individuals, with consistent activity being detected within the same quadrants of spinal cord segments across studies repeated 1 week apart.