Cited by 688Functional Brain Connectivity StudiesBayesian Modeling and Causal InferenceStatistical Methods and Bayesian Inference

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 45 of the 46 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 22 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Comparing Families of Dynamic Causal Models

Open access
Penny, Will D., Stephan, Klaas E., Daunizeau, Jean, Rosa, Maria J., Friston, Karl J., Schofield, Thomas M., Leff, Alex P.·2010·PLoS Computational Biology

Abstract

Mathematical models of scientific data can be formally compared using Bayesian model evidence. Previous applications in the biological sciences have mainly focussed on model selection in which one first selects the model with the highest evidence and then makes inferences based on the parameters of that model. This "best model" approach is very useful but can become brittle if there are a large number of models to compare, and if different subjects use different models. To overcome this shortcoming we propose the combination of two further approaches: (i) family level inference and (ii) Bayesian model averaging within families. Family level inference removes uncertainty about aspects of model structure other than the characteristic of interest. For example: What are the inputs to the system? Is processing serial or parallel? Is it linear or nonlinear? Is it mediated by a single, crucial connection? We apply Bayesian model averaging within families to provide inferences about parameters that are independent of further assumptions about model structure. We illustrate the methods using Dynamic Causal Models of brain imaging data.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

The paper proposes family-level Bayesian inference and Bayesian model averaging within families as alternatives to selecting a single best model, especially when many models are compared or subjects may use different models. It illustrates the approach with Dynamic Causal Models of fMRI data from an auditory word-processing study, finding evidence that auditory input enters posterior STS and that speech intelligibility modulates forward connections from P to A and P to F.

Key findings

  • Family-level inference avoids brittle best-model selection; family posteriors are invariant to the comparison set under fixed effects, and random-effects family inference is implemented via Gibbs sampling.
  • For input connectivity, the FFX posterior for region P alone receiving auditory input was 1.00; RFX expected probability was 0.44 with exceedance probability 0.78, while region A alone had RFX exceedance 0.19.
  • For modulatory families, the forward family had the highest FFX posterior (0.64) and RFX expected probability (0.52) with exceedance probability 0.66.
  • Bayesian model averaging within input family P showed that only forward connections from P to A and P to F were modulated by speech intelligibility; free-energy-based top models averaged 4.5 modulatory connections versus 2.4 in the earlier AIC/BIC-based study.

Methods

  • Dynamic Causal Models for fMRI were used with three regions: left posterior superior temporal sulcus (P), left anterior superior temporal sulcus (A), and pars orbitalis of the inferior frontal gyrus (F); all models had all-to-all endogenous connectivity, with variation in direct input regions and modulatory connections.
  • The model space crossed 64 modulatory patterns with 7 input patterns, giving 448 DCMs, fitted to data from a previously published intelligible-speech study; the subject count is not recoverable from the provided text.
  • Analysis used fixed-effects and random-effects family-level inference; RFX inference used Gibbs sampling with 10,000 discarded burn-in samples, and Bayesian model averaging was performed within families using Occam’s window.

Limitations

  • Stated: the variational Bayes implementation is not accurate for small prior counts, motivating Gibbs sampling; Gibbs sampling is preferred when the number of models exceeds the number of subjects, while VB is preferred for small model sets.
  • Stated: the relative merits of different model-evidence criteria are left to a future publication, and the automatic relevance determination approach for DCMs is currently hypothetical.
  • Evident from the text: the method is illustrated on one fMRI dataset from an auditory word-processing study, so broader biological applicability is proposed but not tested here; results also depend on the chosen family partitions and on the free-energy approximation to model evidence.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000709

Cites

45 of 45 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

0 of 22 cited sources checked · 0 supported · 0 flagged

Show all 38 claims

  • Probably not a substantial claim. 15
  • It may state two separate claims as one. 22
  • The quote only partly states this claim. 4
34 of 34
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    The Free Energy bound is tight.

    “Under the assumption that this bound is tight, model comparison can then proceed using as a surrogate for the log-model evidence.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    Under the fixed-effects (FFX) assumption, all subjects use the same model.

    “We could take this to be under the FFX assumption that all subjects use the same model, or under the RFX assumption that each subject uses their own model (see equation 14).”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    Under the random-effects (RFX) assumption, each subject uses their own model.

    “We could take this to be under the FFX assumption that all subjects use the same model, or under the RFX assumption that each subject uses their own model (see equation 14).”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Dynamic causal models (DCMs) have a Gaussian form.

    “For the applications in this paper, the posterior densities from equation 27 will therefore correspond to a mixture of delta functions and Gaussians because for DCMs have a Gaussian form.”
4 of 4

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

  • PAF model range overlaps other input families

    Minor

    The stated PAF range (285-448) overlaps PA (257-320) and PF (321-384). That contradicts the requirement that family subsets be non-overlapping.

1 of 1

Citations

Cites

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Show all 46 references

1 of the 46 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. J Hoeting, 1999, Bayesian Model Averaging: A Tutorial., Statistical Science, 14, 382

Cited by

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Metadata

Authors
Penny, W. D., Stephan, K. E., Daunizeau, J., Rosa, M. J., Friston, K. J., Schofield, T. M., & Leff, A. P.
Affiliations
Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging (GB)
Corresponding author
Penny, Will D.
Venue
PLoS Computational Biology
Published
2010-03-12
Volume
6
Issue
3
Pages
e1000709
ISSN
  • 1553-734X (ISSN-L)
  • 1553-7358
OpenAlex
W1998151455
Cited by
688
References
46
Citations by year
2026: 13 · 2025: 35 · 2024: 25 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 33 · 2021: 51 · 2020: 54 · 2019: 36 · 2018: 43 · 2017: 47 · 2016: 57 · 2015: 71 · 2014: 43 · 2013: 67 · 2012: 36
FWCI
29.48
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • PLoS Computational Biology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
  • UEA Digital Repository (University of East Anglia) (submittedVersion)
  • Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich)
Funders
  • Wellcome Trust (088130)
  • Universität Zürich
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Artificial Intelligence › Bayesian Modeling and Causal Inference
  • Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Statistics and Probability › Statistical Methods and Bayesian Inference
Keywords
dynamic causal modeling, Bayesian model averaging, model comparison, marginal likelihood, neuroimaging, parameter uncertainty, model structure uncertainty
MeSH terms
Bayes Theorem, Brain, Computer Simulation, Models, Neurological, Nerve Net, Pattern Recognition, Automated, Models, Statistical, Causality

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