Characterization of the correlation, SPM, ICA and specified-resolution wavelet methods in analysis of fMRI study with visual task

An inter-comparison study among the correlation, the SPM, the ICA and the specified-resolution wavelet analytical methods on the performance of finding fMRI task-related brain activations in a visual task is presented. Each of the methods has its own unique pre-assumptions and contributions, and potential variations or uncertainties underlying these methods are very different from one another. One should comprehend the assumptions and theories of each method in depth, and optimize the appropriate techniques for functional studies. The advantages and disadvantages of the analytical methods were systemically characterized and compared, and from our study results, the ICA method seemed to be a more suitable choice for a visual task in fMRI; the shapes of its task-related time courses in the common region shared by all techniques were much more coherent with a predefined reference function.