Logo image
Combined lesion-deficit and fMRI approaches in single-case studies: unique contributions to cognitive neuroscience
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Combined lesion-deficit and fMRI approaches in single-case studies: unique contributions to cognitive neuroscience

Carolina Deifelt Streese and Daniel Tranel
Current opinion in behavioral sciences, Vol.40, pp.58-63
08/2021
DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2021.01.004
PMID: 33709012
url
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/7943030View
Open Access

Abstract

•The number of published neuroscience papers on single-case studies is declining.•Combining lesion-deficit case studies and functional imaging yields valuable insights.•These insights go beyond those obtained by lesion-deficit or functional imaging alone. Although lesion-deficit case studies are foundational in cognitive neuroscience, published papers presenting single lesion cases are declining. In this review, we argue that there is a valuable place for single-case lesion-deficit research, especially when combined with functional neuroimaging methods, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). To support this, we present a summary of notable findings from single-case combined lesion-deficit and fMRI studies published in recent years (2017–2020). These studies show the unique value that this combined approach brings to the understanding of complex functions, brain-level connectivity, and plasticity and recovery. We encourage researchers to consider combining lesion-deficit and functional imaging methods in the analysis of single cases, as this approach affords unique opportunities to address challenging unanswered questions about brain–behavior relationships.

Details

Metrics

Logo image