Executive Function ALE Analysis
Meta Analytic Evidence for a General Purpose Cognitive Control Network Subserving Diverse Executive Functions
Niendam TA, Laird AR, Ray KL, Dean YM, Glahn DC, Carter CS.
Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci. 2012 Jun;12(2):241-68. article pdfIn the largest sample to date, we used quantitative meta-analytic methods to analyze 193 functional neuroimaging studies of 2832 healthy individuals, age 18-60, in which performance on executive function measures was contrasted with an active control condition. A common pattern of activation was observed in the prefrontal, dorsal anterior cingulate and parietal cortex across executive function domains, supporting the idea that a general purpose cognitive control network underlies executive functions.
We are making the global analysis data available to the larger research community so that others may see how their findings overlap with our recent results.
If you would like to view the results of the global analysis across all six executive functioning domains, please follow these instructions:
- Download the program, Mango, to view the ALE results: http://ric.uthscsa.edu/mango
- Download the "colin" brain image ("Colin_tlrc_2x2x2") to use as an anatomical underlay: http://brainmap.org/ale/
- Download the ALE Global Analysis results file: Global_domain_p05.nii
- Download the ALE Conjunction Analysis results file: Flex_Inhib_WM_Conjunction.nii.gz
- To view the ALE results in Mango, follow these steps:
- Open Mango.
- On the header, select Open --> Open Image --> select the colin1.1.nii file saved on your computer to open the anatomical template.
- In the brain image that pops up, click on File --> Add Overlay --> and select the Global_domain_p05.nii image
- To view the conjunction analysis on top of the Global analysis, click on File --> Add Overlay --> and select the Flex_Inhib_WM_Conjunction.nii.gz image. This image can also be viewed alone as the only Overlay.
- Click on Edit --> Update Image Range (important, lets the color map know that ALE values are pretty small)
- To change the color map, go to the smaller rectangular window and click on the red box on the left side, move your cursor down to the next red box, move to the side text box that pops up, move to "Color Table", then click on your preferred color option (Red-to-Yellow and Spectrum are good).
- Moving your cursor throughout the brain will move you through space. Pressing the spacebar will change the orientation of the biggest image (axial, coronal, sagittal).
- Go to Options --> Select Atlas --> Talairach Daemon Labels (hit OK in window that pops up) will then give you the anatomical labels of your current location in brain space, as well as the coordinates.