Individual Variability in Brain Activity A Nuisan

Authors: John Darrell Van Horn Scott T Grafton Michael B Miller

Publish Date: 2008/10/15

Volume: 2, Issue: 4, Pages: 327-

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Abstract

Functional imaging research has been heavily influenced by results based on populationlevel 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 investigatorsThis 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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