title: Exploring functional relations between brain regions from fMRI meta-analysis data: comments on Ramsey, Spirtes, and Glymour.
abstract: In this paper, we address the critical assessment of Ramsey et al. of our method for learning partially directed graphs from meta-analysis imaging data (Neumann et al., 2010). We argue that our method provides valid and interpretable results when applied to data representing a single experimental paradigm. Simulations further suggest that, despite theoretical limitations, the application of our method to mixed probability distributions yields reliable results with error rates at acceptable levels. Finally, we discuss the nature of meta-analysis data and the notion of causality in the context of functional neuroimaging.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany. neumann@cbs.mpg.de
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Neumann
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: Peter T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Fox
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lohmann
mesh_terms: D001185:Artificial Intelligence; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic