DISSEMINATION OF CROSS-PLATFORM SOFTWARE FOR ARTIFACT DETECTION AND REGION OF INT

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The general aim of this project is to disseminate software that will enhance the quality and consistency of analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. The goal is to enhance, document and make publicly available software for artifact detection, statistical region-of-interest analysis and visualization of fMRI data. Better quality control methods and statistical methods will generate more credible and repeatable results, which should therefore lead to faster biomedical discoveries and to potential reduction in the cost of running fMRI studies. From a software engineering standpoint, the goal is to offer a well-designed, cross- platform, extensible software that is intuitive and easy to use. Two existing MATLAB-based software packages will be enhanced, integrated and distributed: the ARtifact detection Tools (ART) and the Region of Interest Analysis of Parcellated Imaging Data (RAPID) software (Nieto-Castanon et al., 2003). To achieve interoperability, the integrated software will be converted from MATLAB to C/C++ and wrappers will be provided for use of this software from other languages such as Python, Java, Tcl/Tk and MATLAB. Custom modules will be created for use of this software within some functional analysis streams (FMRIB Software Library, FSL, Smith et al., 2004, Statistical Parametric Mapping, SPM, Friston 2003, FreeSurfer Functional Analysis STream, FSFAST, Tsao et al., 2003 and Neuroimaging in Python, NiPy), and support will be provided to embed the software in other analysis streams. To achieve dissemination, the software will be beta-tested at several laboratories doing fMRI research and will be maintained and supported through the Neuroimaging Informatics Tools and Resources Clearinghouse (NITRC) website. The project will be carried out in three phases: (1) Integration and release of MATLAB-based software; (2) Conversion of the software to a C/C++ framework; and (3) Dissemination and support to ensure widespread use by the neuroimaging community. Throughout the project we will engage with the neuroimaging community through the NITRC website and, in particular, interact with the several laboratories that have committed to beta-testing the software. We will rely on community feedback to improve usability of the software. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The proposed project aims to disseminate software for sophisticated statistical analyses (Nieto-Castanon et al., 2003) and quality control of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. Providing these tools should enable users of fMRI technology to produce more detailed, consistent and reliable results. This will lead to better understanding of how the brain works and thereby directly impact approaches to diagnosing and treating neurological disorders.