Topic: independent noise

Linear regression and Pearson correlations are bedrock statistical analyses in neuroscience: correlations between neurons are a signature of collective information coding and computation, and linear regression quantifies the linear or nonlinear (e.g., polynomial) relationships among, e.g., neurons or brain regions. However, noise can bias the regression and correlation coefficient estimates towards zero, an effect known as regression dilution. While averaging over trials, time, or neurons--a widespread practice to mitigate noise in neuroscience--reduces the effects of noise, it does not genera