Bias in resampling-based thresholding of statistical maps in fMRI

Abstract

Selecting a threshold for the statistical parameter maps in functional MRI (fMRI) is a delicate matter. The use of advanced test statistics and/or the complex dependence structure of the noise may preclude parametric statistical methods for finding appropriate thresholds. Non-parametric statistical methodology has been presented as a feasible alternative. In this paper we discuss resampling-based methods for finding thresholds and show that proposed non-parametric approaches can lead to severely biased results. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2004.