An Improved Space-Time Adaptive Processing (STAP) Model: A Spatiotemporal Approach For fMRI

Lejian Huang1, Elizabeth A. Thompson2, Mary Comer1, Thomas M. Talavage1, Scott K. Holland3, Vincent Schmithorst3
1School

of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 2Department of Engineering, Purdue University, Fort Wayne, IN 3Imaging Research Center, Childrens Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH

Outline
fMRI Data Analysis Methods and STAP The New Model for STAP Results Conclusions

fMRI Data Analysis Methods

Univariate methods
Cross-correlation General Linear Model

Spatiotemporal methods
Principal Component Analysis (PCA) Independent Component Analysis (ICA) Space-Time Adaptive Processing (STAP)

STAP: Radar to fMRI

Input:
Radar: time-series from 2D array of antennae fMRI: time-series from 2D array of pixels

Output:
coefficient of the targeted, periodic 2D signal Radar: underlying periodic image of target fMRI: underlying periodic image of activation

Advantage of STAP
STAP is a two-dimensional filter that simultaneously determines spatial location as well as frequency content of a given activation.

STAP Overview
noise
Reshape 3D noise data to a column vector Generate noise covariance matrix

Compute weight matrix similar to t Weiner filter

t

Determine steering matrix

noisy signal

Reshape 3D noisy signal to a column vector

Generate coefficient of targeted, periodic 2D signal

Introduce in next slide

Steering matrix
A Kronecker product (an operation on two matrices of arbitrary size resulting in a block matrix ) of temporal steering matrix and spatial steering matrix Temporal steering matrix is the DFT of frequency resolution
1 TR N

[ 1; ej2; ej22; ej2(N-1)]

Spatial steering matrix represents the extent of correlation between each active pixel to its neighboring

New model will change this spatial steering matrix

Outline
fMRI Data Analysis Methods and STAP The New Model for STAP Results Conclusions

STAP in fMRI
Current implementation assumes spatial independence of voxels

0 0 active voxel

0 1

0 0

Independence Truth
Point spread function (PSF)*
Non-punctate Fits to a Gaussian shape
3.5 mm

*C.A.

Olman et al., Point Spread Function for Gradient Echo and Spin Echo BOLD fMRI at 7 Tesla, Proceedings of 14th ISMRM, 1066

PSF Model for STAP

Point spread function weighting matrix f(x,y) = exp[-(x2+y2) / 0.2739]
.007
.026

.026
1 .026

.007
.026 .007

active voxel

.007

Incorporation of PSF in STAP

Circular convolution of PSF (as window) with previous spatial steering matrix
One column of original STAP spatial steering matrix:
0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

.007

.026 1 .026

.007 .026 .007

Convolve with PSF:

.026 .007

Obtain one column of new STAP spatial steering matrix:

0 .007 .026 .007 .026 1 .026 .007 .026 .007 0 0 0 0 0 0

Outline
fMRI Data Analysis Methods and STAP The New Model for STAP Results Conclusions

Synthetic Data Analysis

Simulated activations were added to each time course to simulate a fingertapping exercise of frequency 0.0167 Hz. Amplitude was 4% relative to the mean intensity value for the time course of the given voxel.

Representative time course (TR=3s)

New Model Improves STAP

Human Brain Data Result

30S Rest
OFF

30S

ON

OFF

ON

OFF

ON

Finger tapping

Cross-correlation (gold standard)

STAP: Old Model

STAP: New Model

Outline
fMRI Data Analysis Methods and STAP The New Model for STAP Results Conclusions

Conclusions
Synthetic data
Introduction of PSF has improved STAP performance

Human brain data

Results consistent with "gold standard" Fewer isolated "active" voxels after inclusion of PSF Still need effective statistical model for p-values

Inclusion of PSF makes STAP more useful

Acknowledgements
NIH grant 1R21MH68267-01A1 Purdue Research Foundation