Causal mediation analysis with a three-dimensional image mediator

Causal mediation analysis is increasingly abundant in biology, psychology, and epidemiology studies and so forth. In particular, with the advent of the big data era, the issue of high-dimensional mediators is becoming more prevalent. In neuroscience, with the widespread application of magnetic resonance technology in the field of brain imaging, studies on image being a mediator emerged. In this study, a novel causal mediation analysis method with a three-dimensional image mediator is proposed. We define the average casual effects under the potential outcome framework, explore several sufficient conditions for the valid identification, and develop techniques for estimation and inference. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, a series of simulations under various scenarios is performed. Finally, the proposed method is applied to a study on the causal effect of mother's delivery mode on child's IQ development. It is found that cesarean section may have a negative effect on intellectual performance and that this effect is mediated by white matter development. Additional prospective and longitudinal studies may be necessary to validate these emerging findings.