Metaanalytic connectivity modeling: Delineating the functional connectivity of the human amygdala

Abstract

Functional neuroimaging has evolved into an indispensable tool for noninvasively investigating brain function. A recent development of such methodology is the creation of connectivity models for brain regions and related networks, efforts that have been inhibited by notable limitations. We present a new method for ascertaining functional connectivity of specific brain structures using metaanalytic connectivity modeling (MACM), along with validation of our method using a nonhuman primate database. Drawing from decades of neuroimaging research and spanning multiple behavioral domains, the method overcomes many weaknesses of conventional connectivity analyses and provides a simple, automated alternative to developing accurate and robust models of anatomically‐defined human functional connectivity. Applying MACM to the amygdala, a small structure of the brain with a complex network of connections, we found high coherence with anatomical studies in nonhuman primates as well as human‐based theoretical models of emotive‐cognitive integration, providing evidence for this novel method's utility. Hum Brain Mapp, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.