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fMRI Analysis

The signal change induced by the BOLD effect is very low and cannot be directly detected. Therefore, advanced statistical methods (Statistical Parametric Mapping: SPM) must be used to identify the activated voxels.

fMRI Analysis: Pre-processing

In order to prepare the images for statistical analysis, several pre-processing steps have to be performed:

  • Realign: Patient movements during the acquisition of EPI volumes are corrected
fMRI realign
Report from realign procedure
  • Coregister: fMRI images are aligned with high-resolution anatomical images (e.g. 3D T1-weighted volume)
fMRI coregister
Anatomical and functional images after coregistration
  • Segment: gray matter, white matter and CSF mask or created from the anatomical image
Image segmentation
Anatomical image - GM - WM - CSF
  • Normalize: fMRI and anatomical MR images are morphed into an atlas
fMRI normalize
Template and morphed brain
  • Smooth: EPI images are smoothed

fMRI Analysis: Statistical Analysis

  • General linear model
  • Contrast definition
  • Thresholding

      • Thresholded functional MRI activation maps can be overlaid in color on a high resolution anatomical MR image.