27 Mar 2001

A team at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, has developed a brain-image repository that will make it possible for scientists to freely share fMRI data with colleagues worldwide. The National Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) Data Center was established with a grant of $4.7 million over five years from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The repository will provide data from peer-reviewed fMRI studies, making it possible for researchers without access to costly MRI equipment to interpret, analyze, and replicate these fMRI studies. The data spans a wide range, from studies of normal brain function to diseases including Alzheimer's (e.g., Buckner et al., 2000). Datasets can be searched and requested over the center's web site at http://www.fmridc.org/.—Hakon Heimer