ASL-BIDS, the brain imaging data structure extension for arterial spin labeling

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Medical Physics

Background:

• Arterial Spin Labeling (ASL) is a non-invasive MRI technique for quantitative cerebral perfusion measurement.
• Inconsistent reporting of ASL acquisition parameters hinders data quantification, analysis, and sharing across multi-site studies.
• Standardization of ASL data storage, including metadata, is crucial for reliable research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce ASL-BIDS, the first BIDS extension for ASL data.
• To detail the development and design choices for clinical ASL applications.
• To promote the adoption of standardized ASL data storage.

Main Methods:

• Overview of ASL-BIDS structure for ASL time series storage.
• Implementation details for calibration, unit scaling, and labeling plane information.
• Discussion of ASL-specific BIDS fields.

Main Results:

• ASL-BIDS version 1.5.0 is released, providing a framework for ASL data standardization.
• Includes information on compatible conversion and analysis software.
• Provides example datasets in the standardized BIDS format.

Conclusions:

• Widespread adoption of ASL-BIDS is expected to significantly enhance the reproducibility of ASL research.
• Standardization will facilitate multi-site, multi-platform, and multi-method ASL studies.
• Improves the reliability and comparability of quantitative cerebral perfusion measurements.