Hi all,
 
I wonder if someone has insights into the following discrepancy between a random (RFX) and fixed effect (FFX) result in fMRI.  The essential problem is that there is a much stronger RANDOM effects result in selected areas in which not one single subject shows activation in their single-subject, fixed effect analysis.  There is huge "activation" spanning the lateral ventricles, and an uncinate focus (all < 0.001), but NONE of the single subject FFX analyses show anything like this at < 0.01.
 
I would certainly expect much stronger FFX signals than RFX signals, but have never seen the opposite-- and wouldn't expect any.
 
Some quick details are:
n= 7 subects (yes, I know, quite small, but not a final sample).
Blocked design.
FFX analyses with corrections for serial correlation.
The FFX results are a somewhat complicated interaction consisting of conditions
 
        1/1  1/2  1/1 1/2  2/1  2/2 2/1 2/2
 
where the number to left of the ''/" is a drug condition (drug v placebo) and the number to the right of '/' is a task (1 or 2).
 
The contrast images analyzed consist of the drug x task interaction: 1 -1 -1 1 -1 1 1 -1.
 
Thanks for any help,
David K
 
David A. Kareken, Ph.D., ABPP/ABCN
Board Certified Neuropsychologist
Associate Professor & Director of Neuropsychology
Department of Neurology (RI-1773)
Indiana University School of Medicine
Indianapolis, IN 46202
Tel:  317 274-7327
Fax: 317 274-1337