DETECTABILITY IN BRAIN ACTIVATION STUDIES

描述（改编自申请人的摘要）： 拟议的研究是调查影响可探测性的因素 和大脑激活的表征，从而制定指导方针， 设计激活研究并解释其结果。 的 所提出的实验的定量结果将是接收器的曲线图 操作员特征（ROC）曲线和相关的可检测性参数， 以及激活位点大小的偏差和方差测量， 各种实验条件。 将开发一个软件包， 一般分布，这将使研究人员能够确定操作 在其独特的实验条件下获得的特性。 这 将有助于设计和解释他们的结果， 问题研究 拟议的研究将界定限度，并探讨 在当前的大脑激活中可以实际测量的潜力 问题研究 这些研究将指出实验条件， 成功检测和结果的相对灵敏度 实验参数 产生的定量结果将提供 选择决策阈值和评估误差所需的数据 探测任务中的概率。 最后，建议的研究是 预计将揭示方法中的弱点，这可能表明富有成效的 研究旨在完善这种潜在的强大方法， 人类大脑的运作和疾病过程。 的主要工具 在研究中将使用计算机模拟大脑活动 研究，这将使方法的各种要素得到研究 以一种受控制的方式。

DESCRIPTION (Adapted from Applicant's Abstract): The objective of the proposed research is to investigate the factors affecting the detectability and characterization of brain activation, and thus develop guidelines for designing activation studies and interpreting their results. The quantitative results of the proposed experiments will be plots of receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves and related detectability parameters as well as the bias and variance measurements of activation site size under various experimental conditions. A software package will be developed for general distribution that will allow researchers to determine the operating characteristics obtainable under their unique experimental conditions. This will facilitate the design and interpretation of the results of their studies. The proposed studies will define the limits and probe the potential of what can realistically be measured in current brain-activation studies. The studies will indicate the experimental conditions for successful detection an the relative sensitivity of the results to the experimental parameters. The quantitative results produced will provide the data required for selecting decision thresholds, and for evaluating error probabilities in the detection tasks. Finally the proposed studies are expected to reveal weaknesses in the methodologies that may suggest fruitful research toward refining this potentially powerful approach to understanding the workings, and disease processes, of the human brain. The primary tool in the investigations will be computer simulation of brain-activation studies, which will enable various elements of the methodology to be studied in a controlled manner.