Evaluating Population Receptive Field Estimation Frameworks in Terms of Robustness and Reproducibility

Abstract

Within vision research retinotopic mapping and the more general receptive field estimation approach constitute not only an active field of research in itself but also underlie a plethora of interesting applications. This necessitates not only good estimation of population receptive fields (pRFs) but also that these receptive fields are consistent across time rather than dynamically changing. It is therefore of interest to maximize the accuracy with which population receptive fields can be estimated in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) setting. This, in turn, requires an adequate estimation framework providing the data for population receptive field mapping. More specifically, adequate decisions with regard to stimulus choice and mode of presentation need to be made. Additionally, it needs to be evaluated whether the stimulation protocol should entail mean luminance periods and whether it is advantageous to average the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signal across stimulus cycles or not. By systematically studying the effects of these decisions on pRF estimates in an empirical as well as simulation setting we come to the conclusion that a bar stimulus presented at random positions and interspersed with mean luminance periods is generally most favorable. Finally, using this optimal estimation framework we furthermore tested the assumption of temporal consistency of population receptive fields. We show that the estimation of pRFs from two temporally separated sessions leads to highly similar pRF parameters.

Intersession reliability of population receptive field estimates

“…Thus far the only study related to this topic suggests high stability of pRF parameters between scanning sessions in a small sample (n=3) and across visual areas (Senden et al, 2014). Here we compare mapping reliability in a larger sample and for individual visual areas.…”

Real Time Estimation of Population Receptive Fields Using Gradient Descent

“…The stimulus is an important contributor to the accuracy with which population receptive fields can be estimated ( Senden et al, 2014 ). In the present study, a novel multi-scale bar stimulus is used.…”

Reconstructing imagined letters from early visual cortex reveals tight topographic correspondence between visual mental imagery and perception

“…Within each orientation the sequence of steps (and hence of the locations) was randomized (cf. Senden et al 2014). Each orientation was presented six times.…”