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The Statistical Analysis of Functional MRI DataThe Science of fMRI

The Statistical Analysis of Functional MRI Data: The Science of fMRI 1.1 A Quick Tour of the Brain A challenging aspect of starting to work as a statistician in the area of brain research is learning about neurophysiology. This is necessary if one is to hold meaningful conversations with psychologists and neuroscientists. We start with orientation. This refers to common terms in use by scien- tists to describe the different perspectives for looking at the brain. The brain is divided into two hemispheres, the left and the right, separated by the cor- pus callosum. The corpus callosum can be thought of as the midline of the brain. The direction away from the midline is lateral, whereas the direction toward the midline is medial. Proximal and distal mean closer and farther away, respectively. The rostral or anterior position refers to the front end of the brain (behind the forehead); the other end of this axis, the hind end, is caudal or posterior. The final axis is dorsal/superior (the top of the brain) versus ventral/inferior (the bottom side of the brain). These are depicted in Figure 1.1. It is helpful to be familiar with these terms, since many specific brain areas are described by their positions along the various axes of orientation. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png

The Statistical Analysis of Functional MRI DataThe Science of fMRI

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Publisher
Springer New York
Copyright
© Springer-Verlag New York 2008
ISBN
978-0-387-78190-7
Pages
1 –15
DOI
10.1007/978-0-387-78191-4_1
Publisher site
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Abstract

1.1 A Quick Tour of the Brain A challenging aspect of starting to work as a statistician in the area of brain research is learning about neurophysiology. This is necessary if one is to hold meaningful conversations with psychologists and neuroscientists. We start with orientation. This refers to common terms in use by scien- tists to describe the different perspectives for looking at the brain. The brain is divided into two hemispheres, the left and the right, separated by the cor- pus callosum. The corpus callosum can be thought of as the midline of the brain. The direction away from the midline is lateral, whereas the direction toward the midline is medial. Proximal and distal mean closer and farther away, respectively. The rostral or anterior position refers to the front end of the brain (behind the forehead); the other end of this axis, the hind end, is caudal or posterior. The final axis is dorsal/superior (the top of the brain) versus ventral/inferior (the bottom side of the brain). These are depicted in Figure 1.1. It is helpful to be familiar with these terms, since many specific brain areas are described by their positions along the various axes of orientation.

Published: Jun 7, 2008

Keywords: Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent; Atomic Weight; Free Induction Decay; Magnetic Resonance Scanner; Hemodynamic Response Function

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