An fMRI Investigation of Auditory Pathway Using Different Paradigms and Analysis Procedures

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to improve the visualization of the auditory pathway using different paradigms and analysis procedure of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In particular, the signal of white matter (WM) was used in statistical analysis to remove distortions and improve the quality of correlation maps. Ten healthy volunteers were examined on a 3T scanner with music stimulation and three different paradigms: block design, continuous sound and rest-ing state. The auditory pathway could successfully be visualized. Development in post-processing using the repetition time and WM as regressors and also correlation analysis provided an improvement in visualization of cortical as well as subcortical structures. The results demonstrate a tight functional relation between auditory cortex and brainstem areas in the human brain.