Home › Research › Brain scans and imaging
Voxel-Based Morphometry—The Methods
John Ashburner, Karl John Friston. NeuroImage, 2000-06-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
This paper describes the steps involved in voxel-based morphometry (VBM), a technique that involves a voxel-wise comparison of the local concentration of gray matter between two groups of subjects. The method involves spatially normalizing high-resolution images into stereotactic space, segmenting gray matter, smoothing the gray-matter segments, and performing voxel-wise parametric statistical tests with Gaussian random field corrections for multiple comparisons. Particular emphasis is placed on segmenting gray matter from MR images with nonuniformity artifact, and the authors provide evaluations of the assumptions that underpin the method, including segmentation accuracy and statistical distribution assumptions.
Key findings
- Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) involves a voxel-wise comparison of the local concentration of gray matter between two groups of subjects.
- The procedure involves spatially normalizing high-resolution images into the same stereotactic space, segmenting the gray matter, and smoothing the gray-matter segments.
- Voxel-wise parametric statistical tests are performed on the smoothed gray-matter images, using the theory of Gaussian random fields to correct for multiple comparisons.
Why it matters
Describes the methods of voxel-based morphometry.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Brain scans & tests →
How this study scored 56/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on strength of evidence, so that was left out: it earned 53 of the 95 points we could judge it on, which is 56 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (NeuroImage) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | NeuroImage: journal h-index 523 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | — / 5 | No evidence rating recorded — left out of this score |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2000 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 7 / 7 | Cited 8,684 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 5 / 5 | 310.1 citations a year over 28 year(s) since 2000 |
| Impact for its field and year | 6 / 6 | Cited 117.9× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 4 / 4 | Cited 779 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Karl John Friston: h-index 261 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University College London: institution h-index 2,029 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 10860804) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 53 / 95 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 53 of the 95 points we could judge it on is 56 out of 100. |
| Total | 56 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
May need a subscription OpenAlex found no free copy of the full text (checked 6 Feb 1020), so the publisher may charge for it. The PubMed abstract is free.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Ashburner, J., & Friston, K. J. (2000). Voxel-Based Morphometry—The Methods. NeuroImage. https://doi.org/10.1006/nimg.2000.0582
Vancouver
Ashburner J, Friston KJ. Voxel-Based Morphometry—The Methods. NeuroImage. 2000. doi:10.1006/nimg.2000.0582. PMID: 10860804.
BibTeX
@article{ashburner2000-10860804,
author = {Ashburner, John and Friston, Karl John},
title = {{Voxel-Based Morphometry—The Methods}},
journal = {NeuroImage},
year = {2000},
doi = {10.1006/nimg.2000.0582},
pmid = {10860804},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1006/nimg.2000.0582}
}