Design, Execution, and Analysis of fMRI Experiments

Abstract

Functional magnetic resonance imaging aims to correlate brain functions with the regions of the brain. To find out the region responsible for a brain function, the brain should be exposed to stimuli related to the function, and the changes in time should be monitored. To acquire images that change over time makes it more complex and difficult to extract deductions from functional images than structural images. To get the design right, it is necessary to ask the right questions, to give the correct stimuli at the right times, and to analyze the obtained data according to the design of the experiment. As a result, the design of the experiment affects the whole process. This paper presents a wide view of the complete process in the design, execution and the analysis of fMRI experiments, along with the related software and hardware requirements, as well as mentioning the challenges involved.