Resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs‐fMRI) offers the possibility to assess brain function during rest. This absence of explicit stimuli in fMRI makes analyses more susceptible to noise than task‐based fMRI.
Data preprocessing is a critical procedure to minimise artefacts related to motion and physiology.
A paper recently published in Human Brain Mapping evaluates the effects of different preprocessing strategies on the amplitude of low‐frequency fluctuations (ALFFs) and fractional ALFF (fALFF). We give important recommendations and identified preprocessing strategies that have a negative impact.
Woletz M, Hoffmann A, Tik M, Sladky R, Lanzenberger R, Robinson S, Windischberger C. Beware detrending: Optimal preprocessing pipeline for low-frequency fluctuation analysis. Hum Brain Mapp. 2019 Apr 1;40(5):1571-1582. 2019.