Brain Imaging Databases

Abstract

The availability of neuroimaging-based databases is helping immensely to understand the brain function in healthy and diseased conditions. This viewpoint highlights the objectives, commonalities, and differences within these existing databases and pointers for researchers to choose a particular database. We introduce a multimodal multidisease database, SWADESH, and its comparison with the existing databases. A futuristic database blueprint is proposed for housing multidisease, multimodal, and longitudinal brain imaging data systematically organized in a matrix form along with neuropsychological assessment scores for the identification of causal disease processes. The information-rich databases will ultimately assist with the systematic identification of prime features linked to causal disease processes, leading to the design of appropriate clinical trials for successful therapeutic interventions.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s; GSH; Neuroimaging; Parkinson’s disease; Swadesh; causal disease process; databases; iron.