Same Cause; Different Effects in the Brain
Mariya Toneva, Jennifer Williams, Anand Bollu, Christoph Dann, Leila, Wehbe

TL;DR
This paper introduces a new framework for comparing how different brain regions process stimulus properties, using simulated and real fMRI data, to better understand neural information processing.
Contribution
The paper presents a novel framework that allows comparison of stimulus effects across brain zones, advancing neuroscientific analysis of information processing.
Findings
Framework successfully applied to simulated data
Framework yields consistent results across two real datasets
Enables inference of how stimulus properties influence different brain regions
Abstract
To study information processing in the brain, neuroscientists manipulate experimental stimuli while recording participant brain activity. They can then use encoding models to find out which brain "zone" (e.g. which region of interest, volume pixel or electrophysiology sensor) is predicted from the stimulus properties. Given the assumptions underlying this setup, when stimulus properties are predictive of the activity in a zone, these properties are understood to cause activity in that zone. In recent years, researchers have used neural networks to construct representations that capture the diverse properties of complex stimuli, such as natural language or natural images. Encoding models built using these high-dimensional representations are often able to significantly predict the activity in large swathes of cortex, suggesting that the activity in all these brain zones is caused by…
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Taxonomy
TopicsFunctional Brain Connectivity Studies · Neural dynamics and brain function · EEG and Brain-Computer Interfaces
