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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2022 Aug 1.
Published in final edited form as: Neuroimage. 2022 Mar 23;254:118986. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.118986

Fig. 7. A Framework for brain atlases.

Fig. 7.

| a, Which atlas should be chosen for a study? We propose a framework that helps select an atlas in the context of its descriptive, explanatory, and predictive validity. Descriptive validity means the features of an atlas appropriately resembles the experimental system. An atlas is also a tool to solve a variety of problems in neuroscience. It may be used as part of a methodology to explain causality (explanatory validity), or it may be used to make predictions (predictive validity). These two goals are distinct, and the differences between explanation and prediction ”must be understood for progressing scientific knowledge”Shmueli (2010). These aspects (to explain or to predict) should be considered when selecting an atlas. b, Non-mutually exclusive atlas features related to descriptive validity. c, A list of questions to consider when choosing an atlas. Gray lines connect related questions. d, An algorithm for atlases selection a priori and post hoc. Please see the main text for further details.