Interpreting fMRI data
Our thinking about fMRI data is too straightforward.
( We see this signal in primary visual cortex (V1) of monkeys engaged in periodic fixation tasks, even in
total darkness, with little or no measurable underlying neuronal activity. )
( We see this signal in primary visual cortex (V1) of monkeys engaged in periodic fixation tasks, even in
total darkness, with little or no measurable underlying neuronal activity. )
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what do you make of it?
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typically, people assume that if they see fMRI signal, this means neurons are firing there..
since so much neuro research is based on fMRI data these days, there must be more situations like the one described here..
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I see, the blood actually comes before the neurons start firing.
I am slightly skeptical of FMRI actually (not the procedure itself, of course , but its interpretations), it seems that often people report connections but causality is remains very unclear.
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Although, there is a heretical school of thought, which thinks that blood flow in the brain is not just metabolic, but also computational:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemo-Neural_Hypothesis
Causality is difficult to establish in a system which has so many recurrent circuits and feedback loops.
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