This repository contains some scripts used at UZ Brussel to standardise, optimise and automate the processing single echo and multi-echo fMRI data. Additionally, a batch script is provided to do the segmentation in CAT12 for VBM.

The python and Matlab scripts can be used independently from each other.

The scripts comes without any warrant for the results. You may use them at your own responsibility. I only share them to help and inspire others with their own processing scripts.

The folders contains following tools:

1. Python

-AutoCropBET_T1w: FSL based cropping (RobustFOV), brain extraction (BET) and segmentation (FAST) of T1 weighted head scans

2. Matlab

-spm_read_vols: alternative version of spm_read_vols that loads nifty data per volume rather than per slice to fasten up data loading. This script used the scripts in the my_spmbatch/NIFTI folder (copied from https://nl.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/8797-tools-for-nifti-and-analyze-image). To use it, you have to replace or rename the original spm_read_vols.m file in the SPM12 folder.

-my_spmbatch/AutoSPMpreprocessing_fmri: initiating the automatic preprocessing of fMRI data in SPM12.

-my_spmbatch/AutoSPMprocessing_fmri: initiating the automatic processing of fMRI data in SPM12.

-my_spmbatch/AutoSPMpreprocessing_vbm: initiating the automatic preprocessing of VBM data (T1 anatomical high resolution scans) in CAT12.

The onsets and timings of the task events/blocks are read from an events.tsv file.

If no dummy scans at the start of the fMRI scan were added, you see a decrease in the image contrast in the first few dynamics. In that case, it is advisable to delete these first dynamics from the fMRI time series. In the AutoSPMpreprocessing_fmri script a step to delete these first "dummy" scans is included and the AutoSPMprocessing_fmri script will correct the onset timings in the event.tsv file with the start of the first dynamic in the remaining fMRI data. The number of dynamics that has to be deleted is calculated based on the 'dummytime' parameter (in seconds) and the TR. If your fMRI task started after the dummy scans at the scanner, you have to set the 'dummytime' as 0.

Although a Matlab convertion tool to convert dicom images into nifti format is included, dcm2niix (https://github.com/rordenlab/dcm2niix) as implemented in Python is advised. In the 'python_scripts' folder a batch script (convert_dcm2niix.py) is provided.

3. fMRI_Class

The slides of my fMRI classes are provided. During these classes, a demo dataset is analysed manualy in the same way as is done by my scripts.

Required software installed:

• Matlab
• SPM12 (https://www.fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk/spm/)
  • make sure SPM and its subfolders are added to the Matlab Path
• MRIcroGL (https://www.mccauslandcenter.sc.edu/mricrogl/) for dicom to nifti conversion
• CAT12 (https://neuro-jena.github.io/cat/) for VBM
• GIFT (https://trendscenter.org/software/gift/) to use ICA-AROMA denoising

To use the Matlab script within SPM:

• ACID SPM toolbox (http://www.diffusiontools.com/index.html)
• MEHBfMRI SPM toolbox (https://github.com/P-VS/MEHBfMRI)

To use the Python script:

• FSL
• Anaconda (https://www.anaconda.com/distribution/)
  • start Spyder in a terminal/Command Promt: type "spyder"
• DICOM Sort for sorting dicom files per series
  • from terminal: pip install DICOMsort
  • start from terminal by the command "dicomsort"
  • as program (https://dicomsort.com)
• Nipype (https://nipype.readthedocs.io/en/latest/):
  • in terminal type: conda install --channel conda-forge nipype
• nibabel (https://nipy.org/nibabel/):
  • In terminal type: pip install nibabel
• nilearn (https://nilearn.github.io):
  • in terminal type: pip install -U --user nilearn
• dcm2niix: conda install -c conda-forge dcm2niix

Prior to using this script to process your data:

Convert the DICOM files into nifti using dcm2niix (e.g. manual in MROCroGL or by using 'convert_dcm2niix.py') For the anatomical scans, set 'Crop 3D Images' on

Optional but advisable, in SPM, set the origin and orientation of all scans according to the anterior-posterior comissura. It is best not to apply the transformation to the 4D data (it will nly be applied on the first dynamic), but to save the parameters in a .mat-file. The script will use the saved transformation for all dynamics.

Organise the data in BIDS format - datpath -sub-## -ses-00# (if your experiment contains multiple session per subject) -anat: containes the anatomical data (3D T1) Files: sub-##_T1w.nii and sub-##_T1w.json -func: containes the fmri data Files: sub-##_task-..._bold.nii and sub-##_task-..._bold.json -fmap: containnes the gradient pololarity (blip-up/down) filpt data or the fieldmap scans Files in case of inverted gradient polarity: sub-##_dir-pi_epi.nii and sub-##_dir-pi_epi.json Files in case of fieldmap scans: (image 1 in file is amplitude, image 2 in file is phase) sub-##_fmap_echo-1.nii and sub-##_fmap_echo-1.json sub-##_fmap_echo-2.nii and sub-##_fmap_echo-2.json

IMPORTANT: !! Look at your data before starting any (pre)processing. It makes no sense to lose time in trying to process bad data !!