Released Dataset

We released a comprehensive and quality collection of functional human brain network data for potential research in the intersection of neuroscience, machine learning, and graph analytics. Anatomical and functional MRI images of the brain have been used to understand the functional connectivity of the human brain and are particularly important in identifying underlying neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Autism. Recently, the study of the brain in the form of brain networks using machine learning and graph analytics has become increasingly popular, especially to predict the early onset of these conditions. A brain network, represented as a graph, retains richer structural and positional information that traditional examination methods are unable to capture. However, the lack of brain network data transformed from functional MRI images prevents researchers from data-driven explorations. One of the main difficulties lies in the complicated domain-specific preprocessing steps and the exhaustive computation required to convert data from MRI images into brain networks. We bridge this gap by collecting a large amount of available MRI images from existing studies, working with domain experts to make sensible design choices, and preprocessing the MRI images to produce a collection of brain network datasets. The datasets originate from 5 different sources, cover 3 neurodegenerative conditions, and consist of a total of 2,642 subjects. We tested our graph datasets on 5 machine learning models commonly used in neuroscience and on a recent graph-based analysis model to validate the data quality and to provide domain baselines. To lower the barrier to entry and promote the research in this interdisciplinary field, we release our complete preprocessing details, codes, and brain network data.

The preprint is available at https://arxiv.org/abs/2211.12421.

The brain network datasets can be accessed at: https://figshare.com/s/ e389233c2090e00635af. During this phase we are sharing via a private sharing link. A public DOI assigned through Figshare will be used with the exception of brain networks created with neuroimages from ADNI. ADNI has requested that derived data should be hosted in the same data repository as the original imaging data, LONI IDA.

We have a Github repository at https://github.com/bna-data-analysis/extract-brain-network which includes all our preprocessing codes and a demo on how to convert a raw fMRI image to a brain network in a step-by-step manner with sample input images from a subject in TaoWu.