TemplateFlow: FAIR-sharing of multi-scale, multi-species brain models
Rastko Ćirić, William Hedley Thompson, Romy Lorenz, Mathias Goncalves, Eilidh MacNicol, Christopher J. Markiewicz, Yaroslav O. Halchenko, Satrajit Ghosh, Krzysztof J. Gorgolewski, Russell A. Poldrack, Oscar Estéban
Abstract
Reference anatomies of the brain ('templates') and corresponding atlases are the foundation for reporting standardized neuroimaging results. Currently, there is no registry of templates and atlases; therefore, the redistribution of these resources occurs either bundled within existing software or in ad hoc ways such as downloads from institutional sites and general-purpose data repositories. We introduce TemplateFlow as a publicly available framework for human and non-human brain models. The framework combines an open database with software for access, management, and vetting, allowing scientists to share their resources under FAIR-findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable-principles. TemplateFlow enables multifaceted insights into brains across species, and supports multiverse analyses testing whether results generalize across standard references, scales, and in the long term, species.