QuNex – An Integrative Platform for Reproducible Neuroimaging Analytics

Abstract

Neuroimaging technology has experienced explosive growth and has transformed the study of neural mechanisms across health and disease. However, given the diversity of sophisticated tools for handling neuroimaging data, the field faces challenges around method integration (1–3). Specifically, researchers often have to rely on siloed approaches which limit reproducibility, with idiosyncratic data organization and limited software interoperability. To address these challenges, we developed Quantitative Neuroimaging Environment & Toolbox (QuNex), a platform for consistent end-to-end processing and analytics. QuNex is engineered for reproducible deployment of custom workflows, from onboarding raw data to generating analytic features, in a single “turnkey” command. The platform enables inter-operable integration of multi-modal, community-developed neuroimaging software through an extension frame-work with a software development kit for seamless integration of community tools. Critically, it supports high-throughput, parallel processing in high-performance compute environments, either locally or in the cloud. Notably, QuNex has successfully processed over 10,000 scans across neuroimaging consortia (4), including multiple clinical datasets. Moreover, QuNex enables integration of non-human primate, rodent, and human workflows via a cohesive translational platform. Collectively, this effort stands to significantly impact neuroimaging method integration across acquisition approaches, pipelines, datasets, computational environments, and species. Building on this platform will enable more rapid, scalable, and reproducible impact of neuroimaging technology across health and disease.