Testing the Vogt-Bailey Index using task-based fMRI across pulse sequence protocols

Across three fMRI pulse sequence protocols in 10 research volunteers, the Vogt-Bailey Index highlights elevated local connectivity in the hand area of the motor cortex, matching task-based General Linear Model maps.

• Why it matters: Local connectivity measures like the Vogt-Bailey Index have been evaluated mainly in silico, leaving uncertainty about whether they reliably recover task-relevant brain regions and how acquisition choices affect VB maps.
• What they did: Ten volunteers completed a block-design finger tapping task while being scanned with three protocols that differed only by voxel volume; task-associated VB maps were computed by comparing normal VB maps to task-regressed VB maps and contrasted with General Linear Model task results.
• The result: Task-associated increases in the VB Index were consistently significant across sequence protocols in the cortical region linked to the finger-tapping paradigm, supporting the biological relevance of local connectivity measures.

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