Multi-site EEG studies in early infancy: Methods to enhance data quality

Abigail Dickinson; Madison Booth; Manjari Daniel; Alana Campbell; Neely Miller; Bonnie Lau; John Zempel; Sara Jane Webb; Jed Elison; Adrian K C Lee; Annette Estes; Stephen Dager; Heather Hazlett; Jason Wolff; Robert Schultz; Natasha Marrus; Alan Evans; Joseph Piven; John R Pruett Jr; Shafali Jeste; IBIS Network

doi:10.1016/j.dcn.2024.101425

Multi-site EEG studies in early infancy: Methods to enhance data quality

Dev Cogn Neurosci. 2024 Oct:69:101425. doi: 10.1016/j.dcn.2024.101425. Epub 2024 Jul 31.

Authors

Abigail Dickinson¹, Madison Booth², Manjari Daniel³, Alana Campbell⁴, Neely Miller⁵, Bonnie Lau⁶, John Zempel⁷, Sara Jane Webb⁸, Jed Elison⁹, Adrian K C Lee¹⁰, Annette Estes¹⁰, Stephen Dager¹¹, Heather Hazlett⁴, Jason Wolff⁵, Robert Schultz¹², Natasha Marrus⁷, Alan Evans¹³, Joseph Piven⁴, John R Pruett Jr⁷, Shafali Jeste¹⁴; IBIS Network

Affiliations

¹ Center for Autism Research and Treatment, Semel Institute for Neuroscience, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Electronic address: adickinson@mednet.ucla.edu.
² Department of Neurology, Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
³ Center for Autism Research and Treatment, Semel Institute for Neuroscience, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁴ Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
⁵ Center for Neurobehavioral Development, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
⁶ Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
⁷ Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
⁸ Center for Child Health, Behavior, and Development, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA.
⁹ Institute of Child Development, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
¹¹ Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
¹² Center for Autism Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
¹³ McGill Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada.
¹⁴ Department of Neurology, Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Pediatrics and Neurology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Abstract

Brain differences linked to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can manifest before observable symptoms. Studying these early neural precursors in larger and more diverse cohorts is crucial for advancing our understanding of developmental pathways and potentially facilitating earlier identification. EEG is an ideal tool for investigating early neural differences in ASD, given its scalability and high tolerability in infant populations. In this context, we integrated EEG into an existing multi-site MRI study of infants with a higher familial likelihood of developing ASD. This paper describes the comprehensive protocol established to collect longitudinal, high-density EEG data from infants across five sites as part of the Infant Brain Imaging Study (IBIS) Network and reports interim feasibility and data quality results. We evaluated feasibility by measuring the percentage of infants from whom we successfully collected each EEG paradigm. The quality of task-free data was assessed based on the duration of EEG recordings remaining after artifact removal. Preliminary analyses revealed low data loss, with average in-session loss rates at 4.16 % and quality control loss rates at 11.66 %. Overall, the task-free data retention rate, accounting for both in-session issues and quality control, was 84.16 %, with high consistency across sites. The insights gained from this preliminary analysis highlight key sources of data attrition and provide practical considerations to guide similar research endeavors.

Keywords: Autism; Early identification; Electrophysiology; Multi-site; Multimodal.

Publication types

Multicenter Study

MeSH terms

Artifacts
Autism Spectrum Disorder* / physiopathology
Brain*
Data Accuracy
Electroencephalography* / methods
Feasibility Studies
Female
Humans
Infant
Longitudinal Studies
Magnetic Resonance Imaging* / methods
Male