fMRI Detection by Clustering Model Fitting Parameters

描述（由申请人提供）：本文提出的项目将为功能性磁共振成像（fMRI）数据开发一个灵活的分析框架，该框架将通过统计评估血流动力学反应模型来识别多体素激活区域，该模型与观察到的血氧水平依赖性效应反应相匹配。拟议的框架将允许合并多个血流动力学反应模型，可用于评估单次试验和平均（阻断）基础上的fMRI反应。除了在识别“真实”fMRI激活方面的预期改进之外，该框架有望通过打破分析每个个体体素的统计显著性并随后将“显著”体素分组到激活区域的传统，从而降低汇总图像中的背景噪声水平。最后，这个框架还将使我们能够识别出共同激活的区域，或者至少在响应刺激时表现出相似的时间结构，而不依赖于个体反应的幅度，从而为研究功能连通性提供了一个新的工具。目的：开发一种新的fMRI数据分析框架，该框架使用实验范式和血流动力学反应的先验知识来检测区域基础上的激活。实现本提案的具体目标将提供一个强大的工具，可以大大提高功能性MRI社区获得的未来结果。开发一种分析程序，将关注（可能不相交的）感兴趣的多体素区域作为待检测的基本激活单元，将增加检测到的体素被真实检测的可能性，增强功能磁共振成像在进一步了解正常和无序皮层活动方面的有用性。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The project proposed herein will develop a flexible analytical framework for functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data that will identify multi-voxel regions of activation through statistical evaluation of hemodynamic response model fits to the observed blood-oxygenation level-dependent effect responses. The proposed framework will allow the incorporation of multiple hemodynamic response models that may be used to evaluate fMRI responses both on a single-trial and averaged (blocked) basis. In addition to an expected improvement in the identification of "true" fMRI activation, this framework is expected to be capable of reducing the background noise level in summary images by breaking from the tradition of analyzing each individual voxel for its statistical significance and subsequently grouping "significant" voxels into regions of activation. Finally, this framework will also allow us to identify regions that are co-activated, or at least exhibit similar temporal structure in response to the stimulation, independent of the amplitude of the individual responses, thus contributing a new tool to studies of functional connectivity. Aim: Develop a novel framework for fMRI data analysis that uses a priori knowledge of both the experimental paradigm and hemodynamic response to detect activation on a regional basis. Achievement of the specific aim of this proposal will provide a powerful tool that may greatly enhance the future results obtained by the functional MRI community. Development of an analytical procedure that focuses on (potentially disjoint) multi-voxel regions of interest as the fundamental activation unit to be detected will increase the probability of a detected voxel being a true detection, enhancing the usefulness of fMRI in furthering our understanding of both normal and disordered cortical activity.