RAVE: Comprehensive open-source software for reproducible analysis and visualization of intracranial EEG data

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Computational Neuroscience
• Medical Technology

Background:

• Direct recording of human brain activity using implanted electrodes (intracranial electroencephalography, iEEG) is crucial for neuroscience research.
• High-resolution iEEG data generates massive datasets, posing significant challenges for analysis and discovery.
• Current data exploration methods can be a bottleneck in advancing our understanding of the human brain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a user-friendly, open-source software solution for analyzing and visualizing large-scale iEEG data.
• To overcome the data exploration limitations in human neuroscience research.
• To provide a platform for custom analyses and interactive visualization of neural activity.

Main Methods:

• Developed RAVE (R Analysis and Visualization of iEEG), a free and open-source software package utilizing the R programming language.
• Implemented a web browser interface for transparent data storage and computation (local, server, or cloud).
• Enabled users to perform custom analyses and visualize results on cortical surface models without coding.

Main Results:

• RAVE allows users to analyze and visualize iEEG data from hundreds of electrodes interactively.
• The software generates publication-ready graphics with a single click.
• RAVE prioritizes an interactive user experience, reliability, and reproducibility with nearly 50,000 lines of code.

Conclusions:

• RAVE significantly accelerates discovery in human neuroscience by simplifying the exploration of complex iEEG datasets.
• The open-source nature and web-based interface of RAVE promote accessibility and collaboration.
• RAVE empowers researchers to conduct sophisticated analyses and visualizations, enhancing the understanding of brain activity.