AUTHOR=Bray Signe, Chang Catie, Hoeft Fumiko TITLE=Applications of multivariate pattern classification analyses in developmental neuroimaging of healthy and clinical populations JOURNAL=Frontiers in Human Neuroscience VOLUME=3 YEAR=2009 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/neuro.09.032.2009 DOI=10.3389/neuro.09.032.2009 ISSN=1662-5161 ABSTRACT=Analyses of functional and structural imaging data typically involve testing hypotheses at each voxel in the brain. However, it is often the case that distributed spatial patterns may be a more appropriate metric for discriminating between conditions or groups. Multivariate pattern analysis has been gaining traction in neuroimaging of adult healthy and clinical populations; studies have shown that information present in neuroimaging data can be used to decode intentions and perceptual states, as well as discriminate between healthy and diseased brains. While few studies to date have applied these methods in pediatric populations, in this review we discuss exciting potential applications for studying both healthy, and aberrant, brain development. We include an overview of methods and discussion of challenges and limitations.