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Free keywords:
fMRI; Cognitive neuroscience; Brain mapping; Functional localization; Critical neuroscience
Abstract:
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is the workhorse of imaging-based human
cognitive neuroscience. The use of fMRI is ever-increasing; within the last 4 years more
fMRI studies have been published than in the previous 17 years.This large body of research
has mainly focused on the functional localization of condition- or stimulus-dependent
changes in the blood-oxygenation-level dependent signal. In recent years, h
owever, many
aspects of the commonly practiced analysis frameworks and methodologies have been
critically reassessed. Here we summarize these critiques, providing an overview of the
major conceptual and practical deficiencies in widely used brain-mapping approaches, and
exemplifysomeoftheseissuesbytheuseofimagingdataandsimulations. Inparticular, we
discuss the inherent pitfalls and shortcomings of methodologies for statistical parametric
mapping. Our critique emphasizes recent reports of excessively high numbers of both
false positive and false negative findings in fMRI brain mapping. We outline our view
regarding the broader scientific implications of these methodological considerations and
briefly discuss possible solutions.
