Effect of surgical mask on fMRI signals during task and rest

Authors

Benjamin Klugah-Brown, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Yue Yu, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Peng Hu, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Elijah Agoalikum, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Congcong Liu, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Xiqin Liu, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Xi Yang, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Yixu Zeng, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Xinqi Zhou, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Xin Yu, Harvard Medical School
Bart Rypma, The University of Texas at Dallas
Andrew M. Michael, Duke University School of Medicine
Xiaobo Li, Newark College of Engineering
Benjamin Becker, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Bharat Biswal, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-1-2022

Abstract

Wearing a face mask has become essential to contain the spread of COVID-19 and has become mandatory when collecting fMRI data at most research institutions. Here, we investigate the effects of wearing a surgical mask on fMRI data in n = 37 healthy participants. Activations during finger tapping, emotional face matching, working memory tasks, and rest were examined. Preliminary fMRI analyses show that despite the different mask states, resting-state signals and task activations were relatively similar. Resting-state functional connectivity showed negligible attenuation patterns in mask-on compared with mask-off. Task-based ROI analysis also demonstrated no significant difference between the two mask states under each contrast investigated. Notwithstanding the overall insignificant effects, these results indicate that wearing a face mask during fMRI has little to no significant effect on resting-state and task activations.

Identifier

85138258730 (Scopus)

Publication Title

Communications Biology

External Full Text Location

https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-022-03908-6

e-ISSN

23993642

PubMed ID

36130993

Issue

1

Volume

5

Grant

0561871420

Fund Ref

National Natural Science Foundation of China

Recommended Citation

Klugah-Brown, Benjamin; Yu, Yue; Hu, Peng; Agoalikum, Elijah; Liu, Congcong; Liu, Xiqin; Yang, Xi; Zeng, Yixu; Zhou, Xinqi; Yu, Xin; Rypma, Bart; Michael, Andrew M.; Li, Xiaobo; Becker, Benjamin; and Biswal, Bharat, "Effect of surgical mask on fMRI signals during task and rest" (2022). Faculty Publications. 2480.
https://digitalcommons.njit.edu/fac_pubs/2480