FreeSurfer version-shuffling can boost brain age predictions

Abstract

Abstract / Key pointsThe influence of FreeSurfer version-dependent variability in reconstructed cortical features on brain age predictions is average small when varying training and test splits from the same data.FreeSurfer version differences can lead to some variability in brain age dependent on the choice of algorithm and individual differences in brain morphometry, highlighting the advantage of repeated random train-test splitting.Shuffling of differently processed FreeSurfer data dependent on the FreeSurfer version increases performance and generalizability of the brain age prediction model.