title: Predicting subject-driven actions and sensory experience in a virtual world with relevance vector machine regression of fMRI data.
abstract: In this work we illustrate the approach of the Maastricht Brain Imaging Center to the PBAIC 2007 competition, where participants had to predict, based on fMRI measurements of brain activity, subject driven actions and sensory experience in a virtual world. After standard pre-processing (slice scan time correction, motion correction), we generated rating predictions based on linear Relevance Vector Machine (RVM) learning from all brain voxels. Spatial and temporal filtering of the time series was optimized rating by rating. For some of the ratings (e.g. Instructions, Hits, Faces, Velocity), linear RVM regression was accurate and very consistent within and between subjects. For other ratings (e.g. Arousal, Valence) results were less satisfactory. Our approach ranked overall second. To investigate the role of different brain regions in ratings prediction we generated predictive maps, i.e. maps of the weighted contribution of each voxel to the predicted rating. These maps generally included (but were not limited to) "specialized" regions which are consistent with results from conventional neuroimaging studies and known functional neuroanatomy. In conclusion, Sparse Bayesian Learning models, such as RVM, appear to be a valuable approach to the multivariate regression of fMRI time series. The implementation of the Automatic Relevance Determination criterion is particularly suitable and provides a good generalization, despite the limited number of samples which is typically available in fMRI. Predictive maps allow disclosing multi-voxel patterns of brain activity that predict perceptual and behavioral subjective experience.
authors.affiliation: Maastricht Brain Imaging Center, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. giancarlo.valente@maastrichtuniversity.nl
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Valente
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: De Martino
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Esposito
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Goebel
authors.forename: Elia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Formisano
mesh_terms: D001185:Artificial Intelligence; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated / Q000379:methods*