Christine Maria Born MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Thomas Michael Meindl MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Bernhard Baumert, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Stefanie Britsch MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Ernst Poeppel MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Maximilian F. Reiser MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

The aim of the study was to evaluate the neural correlates of the perception of three different strong brands within a product category and the differences in between them.

30 HS (15 m / 15 f, mean age 42 y) were examined using a 3.0T scanner (Magnetom Trio, Siemens, Erlangen, Germany). Prior to, during and at the end of the examination, subject’s perception of the three different news magazines (M1, M2, M3) and its strength were tested by neuropsychological questionnaires. The fMRI experiment was block-designed with 8 active blocks consisting of 8 stimuli each (pictures of front pages of three well-known news magazines, presentation time 3.0 sec/stimulus). Each picture was underlined by a short question to evaluate the perception of the brand during scanning using a four-point scale ranging from “disagree” to “agree strongly”. As control condition, an abstract colored image was displayed. For anatomical reference 3D-T1w images were obtained. Parameters of echo-planar-imaging were: TR, 3000ms, TE, 30 ms, FA, 80deg., 36 axial slices, slice thickness 3.0mm, inplane resolution, 3.0mm). For anatomical reference, high-resolution T1w images were obtained (TR 14ms, TE 7.6ms, FA 20 deg., 160 sagittal slices, resolution, 1.0mm isotropic). Preprocessing and statistical analysis was done with BrainVoyager QX™ (Goebel, Maastricht, Netherlands). Neuropsychological data were analyzed by SPSS 13.0 (SPSS Inc., USA).

Significant activation was found in the inferior frontal gyrus (BA 44), inferior parietal lobule (BA 40), anterior insula (BA 45) and the middle temporal gyrus (BA 21) while presenting the front pages. M1 and M3 showed activations predominantly right-hemispheric in the named areas. M2, however, demonstrated these activations predominantly left-hemispheric.

The detected brain areas are related to semantic processing. The lateralization depends on the requirement of semantic judgments and enables to define weak versus strong association strength, as well as the demands on the ability to complete the semantic integration.

The key idea is to employ recent neuroscientific methods in order to analyze economically relevant brain processes.

Born, C, Meindl, T, Baumert, B, Britsch, S, Poeppel, E, Reiser, M, Neural Correlates of the Perception of Strong Brands within a Product Category: A fMRI Study.  Radiological Society of North America 2007 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, November 25 - November 30, 2007 ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2007/5012646.html