Does multivariate pattern analysis of functional magnetic resonance data benefit from high resolution and sensitivity at high magnetic field strength (7T)?

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Stefan Pollmann; Professor Dr. Oliver Speck
• Subject Area: Nuclear Medicine, Radiotherapy, Radiobiology ; Medical Physics, Biomedical Technology
• Term: from 2013 to 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 233174194

Multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) of functional magnetic resonance data has recently been widely used in the neurosciences. MVPA promises to yield information about brain function with high spatial resolution. Recently, however, conflicting results were published concerning the information carried by functional magnetic resonance data at different spatial scales and their contribution to classification analyses. In the present project, we intend to investigate to what degree the high spatial resolution and sensitivity yielded at high magnetic field strength contributes to an improved classification of functional activation patterns. To this end we vary field strength (3T and 7T), spatial resolution and sensitivity and investigate their influence under stimulation conditions that create neuronal excitation patterns in the sub-millimeter versus multiple-millimeter scale. The overall goal of the project is the characterization of factors influencing multivariate pattern analysis of functional magnetic resonance data and, subsequently, the optimization of future experimental designs using MVPA.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants