{"title":"Review of weighted exponential random graph models frameworks applied to neuroimaging.","authors":"Yefeng Fan, Simon R White","doi":"10.1002/sim.10162","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Neuro-imaging data can often be represented as statistical networks, especially for functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data, where brain regions are defined as nodes and the functional interactions between those regions are taken as edges. Such networks are commonly divided into classes depending on the type of edges, namely binary or weighted. A binary network means edges can either be present or absent. Whereas the edges of a weighted network are associated with weight values, and fMRI networks belong to weighted networks. Statistical methods are often adopted to analyse such networks, among which, the exponential random graph model (ERGM) is an important network analysis approach. Typically ERGMs are applied to binary networks, and weighted networks often need to be binarised by arbitrarily selecting a threshold value to define the presence of the edges, which can lead to non-robustness and loss of valuable edge weight information representing the strength of fMRI interaction in fMRI networks. While it is therefore important to gain deeper insight in adopting ERGM on weighted networks, there only exists a few different ERGM frameworks for weighted networks; some of these are not directly implementable on fMRI networks based on their original proposal. We systematically review, implement, analyse and compare five such frameworks via a simulation study and provide guidelines on each modelling framework as well as conclude the suitability of them on fMRI networks based on a range of criteria. We concluded that Multi-Layered ERGM is currently the most suitable framework.</p>","PeriodicalId":21879,"journal":{"name":"Statistics in Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8000,"publicationDate":"2024-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Statistics in Medicine","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1002/sim.10162","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/6/26 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"MATHEMATICAL & COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Neuro-imaging data can often be represented as statistical networks, especially for functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data, where brain regions are defined as nodes and the functional interactions between those regions are taken as edges. Such networks are commonly divided into classes depending on the type of edges, namely binary or weighted. A binary network means edges can either be present or absent. Whereas the edges of a weighted network are associated with weight values, and fMRI networks belong to weighted networks. Statistical methods are often adopted to analyse such networks, among which, the exponential random graph model (ERGM) is an important network analysis approach. Typically ERGMs are applied to binary networks, and weighted networks often need to be binarised by arbitrarily selecting a threshold value to define the presence of the edges, which can lead to non-robustness and loss of valuable edge weight information representing the strength of fMRI interaction in fMRI networks. While it is therefore important to gain deeper insight in adopting ERGM on weighted networks, there only exists a few different ERGM frameworks for weighted networks; some of these are not directly implementable on fMRI networks based on their original proposal. We systematically review, implement, analyse and compare five such frameworks via a simulation study and provide guidelines on each modelling framework as well as conclude the suitability of them on fMRI networks based on a range of criteria. We concluded that Multi-Layered ERGM is currently the most suitable framework.
期刊介绍:
The journal aims to influence practice in medicine and its associated sciences through the publication of papers on statistical and other quantitative methods. Papers will explain new methods and demonstrate their application, preferably through a substantive, real, motivating example or a comprehensive evaluation based on an illustrative example. Alternatively, papers will report on case-studies where creative use or technical generalizations of established methodology is directed towards a substantive application. Reviews of, and tutorials on, general topics relevant to the application of statistics to medicine will also be published. The main criteria for publication are appropriateness of the statistical methods to a particular medical problem and clarity of exposition. Papers with primarily mathematical content will be excluded. The journal aims to enhance communication between statisticians, clinicians and medical researchers.