Left, right, or bilateral amygdala activation? How effects of smoothing and motion correction on ultra-high field, high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data alter inferences.

ABSTRACT: Given the amygdala's role in survival mechanisms, and its pivotal contributions to psychological processes, it is no surprise that it is one of the most well-studied brain regions. One of the common methods for understanding the functional role of the amygdala is the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). However, fMRI tends to be acquired using resolutions that are not optimal for smaller brain structures. Furthermore, standard processing includes spatial smoothing and motion correction which further degrade the resolution of the data. Inferentially, this may be detrimental when determining if the amygdalae are active during a task. Indeed, studies using the same task may show differential amygdala(e) activation. Here, we examine the effects of well-accepted preprocessing st

SUBMITTER: Murphy JE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7566741 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature