Scaling Neuro
Find
Walk one folder recursively and identify functional EPI time series from DICOM metadata.
Academic-led infrastructure to scale free open neuroimaging data
Brain models need scale. The scans already exist.
Scaling Neuro helps academic labs easily share their already collected fMRI, eventually unlocking the world's largest trainable neuroimaging dataset. Point it at a DICOM folder and it finds the EPI series, removes identifying metadata locally, and syncs the deidentified DICOMs to a shared archive.
From the researchers behind MindEye, CortexMAE, and Brainmarks
The scale opportunity
If 20 centers join our effort, we'd share more data than OpenNeuro and UKBB combined every 2 years.
OpenNeuro and UK BioBank are two of the largest sources of accessible fMRI data, sharing ~25K and ~14K hours of scanning respectively. More than 1,000 hours of fMRI are routinely collected every year at many universities. At that pace, 20 participating centers could contribute more data than OpenNeuro and UKBB combined every two years.
- Today
- Current fMRI foundation models are not good enough to be widely used.
- At scale
- Future foundation models can become broadly useful to fMRI researchers.
Dotted curve extends the data-scaling trend reported in CortexMAE.
How it works
Share approved fMRI from your lab.
Protect
Remove direct identifiers, dates, paths, free text, and unsafe private metadata locally while preserving Pixel Data. Read the de-identification procedure or inspect the open-source implementation.
Sync
Upload one deidentified DICOM archive per EPI series with resumable transfers and content hashes.
Use
Researchers receive personal archive access under the same no-identification, no-reidentification, and no-contact rules that bind Scaling Neuro staff.
All BOLD fMRI data is welcome. By only uploading raw functional scans that have identifiable metadata removed locally, we avoid all the friction associated with uploading brain scans. No task labels mean your study can't be scooped. No structurals mean no worrying about defacing. No BIDS, so no need to do anything other than point a script to a folder of DICOMs. *Note: Scaling Neuro serves a very different purpose to OpenNeuro; we hope you upload your raw data here and then upload standardized data over there!
Access data
Join the open data effort.
Archive access is available to everyone who fills out the form. Scaling Neuro promises that contributed datasets will remain in the open research commons and will never be reserved or gated for exclusive commercial or private access. Every archive will be in the public domain under CC0 1.0. You must promise not to try to identify or contact participants, and to report any observed identification risks of uploaded data. Following access request, we will email your personal access token to your work address.
Request received
Please check your work email for next steps.
We will email your personal access token and archive instructions to your work address.