Peer-reviewed article
Practical considerations for dense longitudinal neuroimaging: Ten simple rules for frequent scanning over short time periods.
Cross E, Compton AB, Vess A, Booth JR, Kay K et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This is a methodological paper about how to conduct dense longitudinal neuroimaging studies, which involve frequent brain scans over short time periods. It provides practical guidance for research teams on study design, measurement, recruitment, and compliance. While the paper mentions children as a population with limited scan tolerance, it is a methods paper for researchers, not a report evaluating child well-being outcomes or interventions.
Key points
- Dense longitudinal neuroimaging enables characterization of individual trajectories of brain change over time
- The approach presents practical challenges beyond conventional longitudinal neuroimaging studies
- Children are identified as a population with limited scan tolerance that requires special consideration
- Ten simple rules are provided for study design, measurement, recruitment/retention, and compliance
Limitations
This is a methodological guide for researchers, not an evaluation of outcomes or interventions affecting child well-being. It cannot provide evidence about the actual effects of any intervention or program on children's development, health, or protection.
Abstract
Dense longitudinal neuroimaging (DLN) is a precision neuroimaging approach that samples frequently throughout a targeted window of time to characterize individual trajectories of brain change. The approach enables the answering of fundamental questions about the underlying mechanisms of cognitive development and learning. However, acquiring DLN data presents practical challenges that go beyond those associated with acquiring conventional longitudinal data. In this paper, we discuss key practical considerations for designing and executing DLN studies, especially with respect to collecting data from children and other populations with limited scan tolerance. We provide ten simple rules for study design, measurement, recruitment and retention, and compliance to assist research teams seeking to conduct DLN studies.