Prasanna Karunanayaka1, Chris Weitekamp11, Kathleen Gates2, Jianli Wang1, Paul Eslinger3, Peter Molenaar2, Quing Yang1
1Radiology, Penn State University, Hershey, PA, United States; 2Human Development and Family Studies, Penn State University, University Park, PA, United States; 3Neurology, Penn State University, Hershey, PA, United States
Using fMRI data, we present a novel approach capable of revealing the olfactory network that subserve a four-strength fMRI paradigm. The method entails combining unified Structural Equation Modeling (uSEM) and group independent component analysis (ICA) to investigate the underlying olfactory network structure. A significant finding of this study is the identification of primary as well as secondary networks that subserve olfactory processing. Thus, the approach presented and described in this paper highlights the advantage of analyzing olfaction in terms of cognitive modules based on underlying network structure(s).