A new platform developed in Australia could revolutionise brain research. 

Australian researchers have unveiled Neurodesk, a pioneering platform destined to assist the use of neuroimaging data analysis on a global scale. 

The initiative, spearheaded by Swinburne University of Technology, University of Queensland, and University of Sydney, promises to expedite research into neurological conditions including epilepsy, dementia, schizophrenia, and traumatic brain injury.

Neurodesk has been designed to tackle the complex challenges of analysing extensive data sets generated by advanced brain imaging technologies like MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), MEG (Magnetoencephalography), and EEG (Electroencephalography). 

These techniques produce vast amounts of data, necessitating robust solutions for efficient processing and analysis.

The platform distinguishes itself by offering an open-source solution that makes a wide array of advanced analytical tools and software readily accessible to researchers worldwide. 

According to Professor Tom Johnstone, Swinburne project lead and Director of Neuroimaging, Neurodesk is not just innovative but also user-friendly. 

“It allows researchers to leverage the most powerful supercomputers and cloud platforms on an individual researcher’s laptop, and is easy to install and update,” Johnstone says.

Developed through the collaboration of experts in various fields including signal and image processing, medical physics, software engineering, and artificial intelligence, Neurodesk supports transparent and reproducible research. This transparency is crucial for enabling scientists to share, compare, and validate their analyses, thereby accelerating advancements in critical research areas.

The project enjoys support from several prestigious Australian and international institutions, including the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC), the Australian National Imaging Facility, the Australian Brain Alliance, as well as global partners such as Harvard, MIT, and University College London.

More details are accessible here.