help > GM/WM/CSF ROIs in the surface-based analysis
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Feb 28, 2025  01:02 AM | Michelle Cheng
GM/WM/CSF ROIs in the surface-based analysis

Dear CONN experts,


I have preprocessed a dataset using the "preprocessing pipeline for surface-based (in subject-space) using nonlinear coregistration." The structural images were brain.mgz files generated by FreeSurfer and aseg.mgz files were also incorporated. After the preprocessing, I noticed in the "Setup > ROIs" section that the gray matter, white matter, and CSF (c{1,2,3}_aseg.img respectively) were all pointed to "unsmoothed functional data (secondary dataset #1)." In the "Setup > Other imaging data" section, those unsmoothed functional data pointed to ww*.surf.nii, which I assume were functional data resampled on the cortical surface. Now my questions are:


1) Can I go ahead with this automatic configuration? Does CONN try to extract CSF signals from the cortical surface (!?) or automatically identify the corresponding volume-based functional data and extract the signal therein?


2) Or should I manually point the GM/WM/CSF ROIs to "subject-space functional data" also generated by the pipeline (ww*.nii with no "surf" in the file name) available in the Other imaging data section?


Thanks in advance for your help!


Sincerely,
Michelle

Mar 6, 2025  03:03 PM | Alfonso Nieto-Castanon - Boston University
RE: GM/WM/CSF ROIs in the surface-based analysis

Dear Michelle,


You are exactly right, you should point these volume-level ROIs to extract BOLD signal from your "subject-space functional data" dataset (or any other appropriate volume-level functional data file). In general when running surface-level analyses, and possibly mixing volume- and surface- level ROIs or data files, each individual ROI should point to the appropriate (same-space / same-level) BOLD signal source (this of course also applies to those cases when one is running volume-level analyses but is mixing ROIs across different spaces, e.g. some ROIs in MNI-space and others in subject- space). In your case that means pointing the Gray/White/CSF ROIs to the extract the BOLD signal from those same functional files but without the ".surf" in the filename.


Hope this helps


Alfonso


Originally posted by Michelle Cheng:



Dear CONN experts,


I have preprocessed a dataset using the "preprocessing pipeline for surface-based (in subject-space) using nonlinear coregistration." The structural images were brain.mgz files generated by FreeSurfer and aseg.mgz files were also incorporated. After the preprocessing, I noticed in the "Setup > ROIs" section that the gray matter, white matter, and CSF (c{1,2,3}_aseg.img respectively) were all pointed to "unsmoothed functional data (secondary dataset #1)." In the "Setup > Other imaging data" section, those unsmoothed functional data pointed to ww*.surf.nii, which I assume were functional data resampled on the cortical surface. Now my questions are:


1) Can I go ahead with this automatic configuration? Does CONN try to extract CSF signals from the cortical surface (!?) or automatically identify the corresponding volume-based functional data and extract the signal therein?


2) Or should I manually point the GM/WM/CSF ROIs to "subject-space functional data" also generated by the pipeline (ww*.nii with no "surf" in the file name) available in the Other imaging data section?


Thanks in advance for your help!


Sincerely,
Michelle



 

Mar 19, 2025  08:03 PM | Michelle Cheng
RE: GM/WM/CSF ROIs in the surface-based analysis

Dear Alfonso,


Thank you for clarifying my questions. This saved my day!


Sincerely,
Michelle


Originally posted by Alfonso Nieto-Castanon:



Dear Michelle,


You are exactly right, you should point these volume-level ROIs to extract BOLD signal from your "subject-space functional data" dataset (or any other appropriate volume-level functional data file). In general when running surface-level analyses, and possibly mixing volume- and surface- level ROIs or data files, each individual ROI should point to the appropriate (same-space / same-level) BOLD signal source (this of course also applies to those cases when one is running volume-level analyses but is mixing ROIs across different spaces, e.g. some ROIs in MNI-space and others in subject- space). In your case that means pointing the Gray/White/CSF ROIs to the extract the BOLD signal from those same functional files but without the ".surf" in the filename.


Hope this helps


Alfonso


Originally posted by Michelle Cheng:



Dear CONN experts,


I have preprocessed a dataset using the "preprocessing pipeline for surface-based (in subject-space) using nonlinear coregistration." The structural images were brain.mgz files generated by FreeSurfer and aseg.mgz files were also incorporated. After the preprocessing, I noticed in the "Setup > ROIs" section that the gray matter, white matter, and CSF (c{1,2,3}_aseg.img respectively) were all pointed to "unsmoothed functional data (secondary dataset #1)." In the "Setup > Other imaging data" section, those unsmoothed functional data pointed to ww*.surf.nii, which I assume were functional data resampled on the cortical surface. Now my questions are:


1) Can I go ahead with this automatic configuration? Does CONN try to extract CSF signals from the cortical surface (!?) or automatically identify the corresponding volume-based functional data and extract the signal therein?


2) Or should I manually point the GM/WM/CSF ROIs to "subject-space functional data" also generated by the pipeline (ww*.nii with no "surf" in the file name) available in the Other imaging data section?


Thanks in advance for your help!


Sincerely,
Michelle