Lin4Neuro: a customized Linux distribution ready for neuroimaging analysis.
BACKGROUND
A variety of neuroimaging software packages have been released from various laboratories worldwide, and many researchers use these packages in combination. Though most of these software packages are freely available, some people find them difficult to install and configure because they are mostly based on UNIX-like operating systems. We developed a live USB-bootable Linux package named "Lin4Neuro." This system includes popular neuroimaging analysis tools. The user interface is customized so that even Windows users can use it intuitively.


RESULTS
The boot time of this system was only around 40 seconds. We performed a benchmark test of inhomogeneity correction on 10 subjects of three-dimensional T1-weighted MRI scans. The processing speed of USB-booted Lin4Neuro was as fast as that of the package installed on the hard disk drive. We also installed Lin4Neuro on a virtualization software package that emulates the Linux environment on a Windows-based operation system. Although the processing speed was slower than that under other conditions, it remained comparable.


CONCLUSIONS
With Lin4Neuro in one's hand, one can access neuroimaging software packages easily, and immediately focus on analyzing data. Lin4Neuro can be a good primer for beginners of neuroimaging analysis or students who are interested in neuroimaging analysis. It also provides a practical means of sharing analysis environments across sites.
Department of Psychiatry, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. kiyotaka@nemotos.net
Kiyotaka
K
Nemoto
Ippeita
I
Dan
Christopher
C
Rorden
Takashi
T
Ohnishi
Daisuke
D
Tsuzuki
Masako
M
Okamoto
Fumio
F
Yamashita
Takashi
T
Asada
D000465:Algorithms; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D016247:Information Storage and Retrieval / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009485:Neuroradiography / Q000379:methods; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated / Q000379:methods*; D011381:Programming Languages; D012984:Software; D012985:Software Design; D014584:User-Computer Interface
Front Neuroinform. 2009 Jul 20;3:22
19649168
J Cogn Neurosci. 2007 Jul;19(7):1081-8
17583985
J Magn Reson Imaging. 2008 Apr;27(4):685-91
18302232
Comput Biomed Res. 1996 Jun;29(3):162-73
8812068
Neuroimage. 2008 Feb 15;39(4):1752-62
18063391
Neuroimage. 2004;23 Suppl 1:S208-19
15501092
Neuroimage. 2003 Jul;19(3):1033-48
12880830
Neuroimage. 2008 Feb 15;39(4):1654-65
18065243
Neuroimage. 2005 Jul 1;26(3):839-51
15955494
Neuroimage. 2004 Sep;23(1):75-83
15325354
AMIA Annu Symp Proc. 2008 Nov 06;:1000
18999128
IEEE Trans Med Imaging. 1998 Feb;17(1):87-97
9617910
Acad Radiol. 2005 Jan;12(1):85-96
15691729
Hum Brain Mapp. 2002 Nov;17(3):143-55
12391568
J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2001 Sep-Oct;8(5):443-59
11522765
Comput Med Imaging Graph. 2001 Nov-Dec;25(6):449-57
11679206
Mol Imaging. 2003 Jul;2(3):131-7
14649056