title: Experimental design and interpretation of functional neuroimaging studies of cognitive processes.
abstract: This article discusses how the relation between experimental and baseline conditions in functional neuroimaging studies affects the conclusions that can be drawn from a study about the neural correlates of components of the cognitive system and about the nature and organization of those components. I argue that certain designs in common use--in particular the contrast of qualitatively different representations that are processed at parallel stages of a functional architecture--can never identify the neural basis of a cognitive operation and have limited use in providing information about the nature of cognitive systems. Other types of designs-such as ones that contrast representations that are computed in immediately sequential processing steps and ones that contrast qualitatively similar representations that are parametrically related within a single processing stage-are more easily interpreted.
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychology Laboratory, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA. dcaplan@partners.org
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Caplan
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D008606:Mental Processes / Q000502:physiology; D012107:Research Design; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted