An analysis-ready and quality controlled resource for pediatric brain white-matter research

We created a set of resources to enable research based on openly-available diffusion MRI (dMRI) data from the Healthy Brain Network (HBN) study. First, we curated the HBN dMRI data (N = 2747) into the Brain Imaging Data Structure and preprocessed it according to best-practices, including denoising and correcting for motion effects, susceptibility-related distortions, and eddy currents. Preprocessed, analysis-ready data was made openly available. Data quality plays a key role in the analysis of dMRI. To optimize QC and scale it to this large dataset, we trained a neural network through the combination of a small data subset scored by experts and a larger set scored by community scientists. The network performs QC highly concordant with that of experts on a held out set (ROC-AUC = 0.947). A further analysis of the neural network demonstrates that it relies on image features with relevance to QC. Altogether, this work both delivers resources to advance transdiagnostic research in brain connectivity and pediatric mental health, and establishes a novel paradigm for automated QC of large datasets

The lateral entorhinal cortex is a hub for local and global dysfunction in early Alzheimer's disease states

Functional network activity alterations are one of the earliest hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD), detected prior to amyloidosis and tauopathy. Better understanding the neuronal underpinnings of such network alterations could offer mechanistic insight into AD progression. Here, we examined a mouse model (3xTgAD mice) recapitulating this early AD stage. We found resting functional connectivity loss within ventral networks, including the entorhinal cortex, aligning with the spatial distribution of tauopathy reported in humans. Unexpectedly, in contrast to decreased connectivity at rest, 3xTgAD mice show enhanced fMRI signal within several projection areas following optogenetic activation of the entorhinal cortex. We corroborate this finding by demonstrating neuronal facilitation within ventral networks and synaptic hyperexcitability in projection targets. 3xTgAD mice, thus, reveal a dichotomic hypo-connected:resting versus hyper-responsive:active phenotype. This strong homotopy between the areas affected supports the translatability of this pathophysiological model to tau-related, early-AD deficits in humans

Brainhack: Developing a culture of open, inclusive, community-driven neuroscience

Brainhack is an innovative meeting format that promotes scientific collaboration and education in an open, inclusive environment. This NeuroView describes the myriad benefits for participants and the research community and how Brainhacks complement conventional formats to augment scientific progress

Brainhack: Developing a culture of open, inclusive, community-driven neuroscience

Brainhack is an innovative meeting format that promotes scientific collaboration and education in an open, inclusive environment. This NeuroView describes the myriad benefits for participants and the research community and how Brainhacks complement conventional formats to augment scientific progress

StandardRat: A multi-center consensus protocol to enhance functional connectivity specificity in the rat brain

Task-free functional connectivity in animal models provides an experimental framework to examine connectivity phenomena under controlled conditions and allows comparison with invasive or terminal procedures. To date, animal acquisitions are performed with varying protocols and analyses that hamper result comparison and integration. We introduce StandardRat, a consensus rat functional MRI acquisition protocol tested across 20 centers. To develop this protocol with optimized acquisition and processing parameters, we initially aggregated 65 functional imaging datasets acquired in rats from 46 centers. We developed a reproducible pipeline for the analysis of rat data acquired with diverse protocols and determined experimental and processing parameters associated with a more robust functional connectivity detection. We show that the standardized protocol enhances biologically plausible functional connectivity patterns, relative to pre-existing acquisitions. The protocol and processing pipeline described here are openly shared with the neuroimaging community to promote interoperability and cooperation towards tackling the most important challenges in neuroscience.Competing Interest StatementAline Seuwen is an employee of Bruker, the manufacturer of preclinical MRI systems used for the acquisition of the majority of the datasets in this collection. Emmanuel L. Barbier is a consultant for Bruker. Benjamin Vidal is an employee of Theranexus company. Stefan Zurbruegg, Arno Doelemeyer, and Nicolau Beckmann are employees of Novartis Pharma AG. Thoralf Niendorf is founder and CEO of MRI.TOOLS GmbH