Neuroimaging and verbal memory assessment in healthy aging adults using a portable low-field MRI scanner and a web-based platform: results from a proof-of-concept population-based cross-section study.

Consumer wearables and health monitors, internet-based health and cognitive assessments, and at-home biosample (e.g., saliva and capillary blood) collection kits are increasingly used by public health researchers for large population-based studies without requiring intensive in-person visits. Alongside reduced participant time burden, remote and virtual data collection allows the participation of individuals who live long distances from hospital or university research centers, or who lack access to transportation. Unfortunately, studies that include magnetic resonance neuroimaging are challenging to perform remotely given the infrastructure requirements of MRI scanners, and, as a result, they often omit socially, economically, and educationally disadvantaged individuals. Lower field strength systems (< 100 mT) offer the potential to perform neuroimaging at a participant’s home, enabling more accessible and equitable research. Here we report the first use of a low-field MRI “scan van” with an online assessment of paired-associate learning (PAL) to examine associations between brain morphometry and verbal memory performance. In a sample of 67 individuals, 18–93 years of age, imaged at or near their home, we show expected white and gray matter volume trends with age and find significant (p < 0.05 FWE) associations between PAL performance and hippocampus, amygdala, caudate, and thalamic volumes. High-quality data were acquired in 93% of individuals, and at-home scanning was preferred by all individuals with prior MRI at a hospital or research setting. Results demonstrate the feasibility of remote neuroimaging and cognitive data collection, with important implications for engaging traditionally under-represented communities in neuroimaging research.

消费者可穿戴设备和健康监测器、基于互联网的健康和认知评估以及家用生物样本（如唾液和毛细血管血）采集套件，越来越多地被公共卫生研究人员用于大规模基于人群的研究，而无需密集的面对面访问。除了减轻参与者的时间负担外，远程和虚拟数据采集还使那些居住在距离医院或大学研究中心较远或无法获得交通工具的个人能够参与进来。不幸的是，鉴于磁共振成像（MRI）扫描仪的基础设施要求，包含磁共振神经成像的研究很难远程进行，因此，它们往往会遗漏社会、经济和教育方面处于劣势的个体。低场强系统（<100 mT）提供了在参与者家中进行神经成像的可能性，使研究更易获取且更公平。在这里，我们报告了首次使用低场MRI“扫描车”并结合在线评估配对联想学习（PAL）来研究脑形态测量与言语记忆表现之间的关联。在67名年龄在18 - 93岁、在家中或家附近成像的个体样本中，我们展示了预期的白质和灰质体积随年龄的变化趋势，并发现PAL表现与海马体、杏仁核、尾状核和丘脑体积之间存在显著（p < 0.05，FWE校正）关联。93%的个体获得了高质量数据，并且所有之前在医院或研究机构做过MRI的个体都更喜欢在家中扫描。结果证明了远程神经成像和认知数据采集的可行性，这对让传统上代表性不足的群体参与神经成像研究具有重要意义。