Synopsis

Keywords: Neuro: Brain

In this course, we describe an overview of basic pre-processing operations for fMRI data that are typically performed before statistical analysis of regional activation and connectivity. We then present the details of methods used for motion correction, slice timing correction, segmentation, spatial normalization, and physiological noise correction. Additionally, we provide recent advances in the preprocessing methods and discuss future directions. The target audience includes fMRI researchers interested in learning about basic methods and software for preprocessing in humans.

fMRI noninvasively measures the blood-oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) effect as an indicator of underlying neuronal activity, reflecting changes in the concentration of paramagnetic deoxy-hemoglobin resulting from neurovascular coupling. However, the BOLD signal is typically confounded by non-neuronal sources such as head motion, cardiac activity, and respiration. Therefore, pre-processing methods have been applied to fMRI data to reduce noise from the BOLD signal and localize effects of interest within a common spatial framework. These analysis pipelines help reduce false positive errors in the inference of regional activation and connectivity, and are readily available in software packages within the fMRI neuroimaging community. In this course, I will provide an overview of basic pre-processing operations for fMRI data that are typically performed prior to statistical analysis of regional activation and connectivity. Then, I will present details of methods used for motion correction, slice timing correction, segmentation, spatial normalization, and physiological noise correction. Finally, I will discuss recent advances in the preprocessing methods and future directions. The target audience includes fMRI researchers interested in learning about basic methods and software for preprocessing in humans.

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by a grant funded by the Korea Basic Science Institute (C422300).

References

No reference found.