CAREER: New Developments on Experimental Designs for Pioneering Functional Brain Imaging Technologies

Arizona State University, Scottsdale AZ

Investigators

Abstract

Understanding functions of the human brain is a very challenging yet crucially important task. To advance knowledge about brain functions, pioneering technologies such as electroencephalography (EEG), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) have been widely used in neuroimaging experiments. Focusing on such neuroimaging studies, the investigator identifies optimal and efficient experimental designs to allow researchers to collect informative data for rendering precise and valid statistical inference on human brain functions. Specifically, the investigator will develop fundamental theories to provide insights and guidance on selecting optimal designs for fMRI studies. He will also develop efficient computational tools for obtaining designs for modern fMRI experiments with sophisticated experimental settings and/or advanced statistical analysis methods. Various practical situations will be considered. These will include cases where (i) the experimental subject's probabilistic behavior needs to be taken into account at the design stage; (ii) the hemodynamic response function, which models the subject's brain activity in response to a brief mental stimulus, can vary over time; and (iii) flexible statistical approaches such as semi- and non-parametric methods are considered for a better interpretation of the rather complex neuroimaging data. In addition to the popularly used fMRI, the investigator will obtain and study high-quality designs for experiments utilizing some other pioneering brain mapping techniques such as EEG and fNIRS. The research results will allow researchers to select experimental designs to improve the quality of neuroimaging experiments for studying brain functions. They will benefit society by facilitating the use of pioneering brain mapping technologies in advancing knowledge about some terrifying brain disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, and about how the brains work when we learn, remember and make decisions. To further broaden the impact of the research, the investigator will provide free, user-friendly software packages for researchers and practitioners to easily obtain high-quality neuroimaging experimental designs. In addition, new courses on design of experiments will be developed. These courses will help students to gain practically useful knowledge and skills on design and analysis of modern scientific experiments.