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Individual Variability in Brain Activity: A Nuisance or an Opportunity?

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Abstract

Functional imaging research has been heavily influenced by results based on population-level inference. However, group average results may belie the unique patterns of activity present in the individual that ordinarily are considered random noise. Recent advances in the evolution of MRI hardware have led to significant improvements in the stability and reproducibility of blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) measurements. These enhancements provide a unique opportunity for closer examination of individual patterns of brain activity. Three objectives can be accomplished by considering brain scans at the individual level; (1) Mapping functional anatomy at a fine grained analysis; (2) Determining if an individual scan is normative with respect to a reference population; and (3) Understanding the sources of intersubject variability in brain activity. In this review, we detail these objectives, briefly discuss their histories and present recent trends in the analyses of individual variability. Finally, we emphasize the unique opportunities and challenges for understanding individual differences through international collaboration among Pacific Rim investigators.

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Acknowledgements

This work was made possible with the support of NIH R13MH082536, the Institute of Collaborative Biotechnology (ICB) at the University of California Santa Barbara, the University of California Pacific Rim Institute, and the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO).

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Van Horn, J.D., Grafton, S.T. & Miller, M.B. Individual Variability in Brain Activity: A Nuisance or an Opportunity?. Brain Imaging and Behavior 2, 327–334 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-008-9049-9

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