New research suggests that simplifying how brain imaging data are analyzed could make functional MRI scans far better at predicting individual health outcomes, a counterargument to the “just in case” MRI.
According to the Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, elective, preventative MRI scans are often rife with false positives, which can be costly in both a financial and emotional sense.
In a typical functional magnetic resonance imaging study, or fMRI, you’ll be asked to lay down in an MRI scanner while either remaining at rest or performing a specific task. A new paper from Stephanie Noble, assistant professor of psychology and bioengineering at Northeastern University, and visiting Ph.D. student Raimundo Rodriguez, identifies signal information characteristic of performing tasks. By removing this information from resting-state models, their research finds that resting-state brain maps produced by fMRI highlight individual differences and become better suited to predicting information about the subject.
Read more at Northeastern Global News
Photo by Alyssa Stone
