Differential covariance: A new method to estimate functional connectivity in fMRI

Abstract

Measuring functional connectivity from fMRI is important in understanding processing in cortical networks. However, because brain's connection pattern is complex, currently used methods are prone to produce false connections. We introduce here a new method that uses derivative for estimating functional connectivity. Using simulations, we benchmarked our method with other commonly used methods. Our method achieves better results in complex network simulations. This new method provides an alternative way to estimate functional connectivity.