Effect of analytical variability in estimating EEG-based functional connectivity

Abstract The significant degree of variability and flexibility in neuroimaging analysis approaches has recently raised concerns. When running any neuroimaging study, the researcher is faced with a large number of methodological choices, often made arbitrarily. This can produce substantial variability in the results, ultimately hindering research replicability, and thus, robust conclusions. Here, we addressed the analytical variability in the EEG source connectivity pipeline and its effects on outcomes consistency. Like most neuroimaging analyses, the EEG source connectivity analysis involves the processing of high-dimensional data and is characterized by a complex workflow that leads to high analytical variability. In this study, we focused on source functional connectivity variability induced by three key factors along the analysis pipeline: 1) number of EEG electrodes, 2) inverse solution algorithms, and 3) functional connectivity metrics. Outcomes variability was assessed in terms of group-level consistency, inter-, and intra-subjects similarity, using resting-state EEG data (n = 88). As expected, our results showed that different choices related to the number of electrodes, source reconstruction algorithm, and functional connectivity measure substantially affect group-level consistency, between-, and within-subjects similarity. We believe that the significant impact of such methodological variability represents a critical issue for neuroimaging studies that should be prioritized. Highlights The significant impact of methodological variability is a recognized critical priority issue for neuroimaging studies. Analytical variability related to the number of electrodes, source reconstruction algorithm, and functional connectivity measure is a prominent issue in the EEG source connectivity analysis. Group-level consistency, between-, and within-subjects similarity are substantially affected by analytical variability in the EEG source connectivity analysis.