a priori regions of interest (Neuroscience)

[NewAmerica]

Does "a priori regions of interest" mean "regions of interest that are previously not studied"?

Thanks in advance

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Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density
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Changes in gray matter concentration were investigated using voxel-based morphometry, and compared to a wait-list control group of 17 individuals. Analyses in a priori regions of interest confirmed increases in gray matter concentration within the left hippocampus. <......>

-PMC

Source

 

[entangledbank]

No, I would think here it means regions that they believed were of interest even before they did the experiment. On doing the experiment, they might find additional regions lighting up that they hadn't previously considered; these would be of a posteriori interest.

It doesn't mean that they hadn't previously studied them, or that they in fact turned out to be of interest, only that they started by considering them to be of interest.

 

[NewAmerica]

Thank you.