title: BOLDSync: a MATLAB-based toolbox for synchronized stimulus presentation in functional MRI.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Precise and synchronized presentation of paradigm stimuli in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is central to obtaining accurate information about brain regions involved in a specific task.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this manuscript, we present a new MATLAB-based toolbox, BOLDSync, for synchronized stimulus presentation in fMRI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  BOLDSync provides a user friendly platform for design and presentation of visual, audio, as well as multimodal audio-visual (AV) stimuli in functional imaging experiments. We present simulation experiments that demonstrate the millisecond synchronization accuracy of BOLDSync, and also illustrate the functionalities of BOLDSync through application to an AV fMRI study.
  
  
  METHODS
  BOLDSync gains an advantage over other available proprietary and open-source toolboxes by offering a user friendly and accessible interface that affords both precision in stimulus presentation and versatility across various types of stimulus designs and system setups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  BOLDSync is a reliable, efficient, and versatile solution for synchronized stimulus presentation in fMRI study.
authors.affiliation: Neuroimaging and Neurospectroscopy Laboratory, National Brain Research Centre, Gurgaon, India.
authors.forename: Jitesh
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Joshi
authors.affiliation: Neuroimaging and Neurospectroscopy Laboratory, National Brain Research Centre, Gurgaon, India.
authors.forename: Sumiti
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saharan
authors.affiliation: Neuroimaging and Neurospectroscopy Laboratory, National Brain Research Centre, Gurgaon, India; Division of Neuroradiology, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. Electronic address: pravat.mandal@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Pravat K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Mandal
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000502:physiology; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000295:instrumentation; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012984:Software; D014741:Video Recording
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen
keywords: ASF; AV; Accuracy; BOLD; BOLDSync; Functional MRI; GUI; HID; MATLAB; NDyns; NI; National Instruments; PCI; RCU; SDU; SPS; Stimulus presentation; Synchronization; TR; Toolbox; VLC; VLC media player; WaVE; a simple framework; audio-visual; blood oxygen level dependent; fMRI; functional magnetic resonance imaging; graphical user interface; human interface device; no. of dynamics; peripheral component interconnect; repetition time; response collection unit; sound and display unit; stimulus presentation system; wake-forest visual experimentation