Daniel Cromb1,2, Andy Simmons1,3
1Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK; 2Kent Institute for Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, UK; 3Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK
Large subject movements during fMRI can lead to unanalyzable data. Despite this, subject movement remains an understudied area and there are no guidelines for quality control of subject movement. We report the development of a software package for investigating subject movement and a novel overall movement parameter (OMP). The OMP is shown to be affected by the amount of time spent in the scanner and varies between patient groups. Characteristic movement patterns and directions have been identified. The OMP shows promise both for quality control of subject movement and for the refinement of fMRI study designs to minimise subject movement.