Introduction

What you can do with Brainstorm

• MEG / EEG recordings:

  • Reading data from the most popular file formats (list here)

  • Interactive access to the original files, or copy in the database
  • Reviewing and editing of event markers in continuous files
• Pre-processing:
  • Epoching
  • Detection of bad trials / bad channels
  • Baseline correction
  • Frequency filtering
  • Resampling
  • Averaging
  • Noise covariance estimation
• Recordings visualization:
  • Various time series displays
  • Data mapping on 2D or 3D surfaces
  • Generate slides and animations
  • Channel selection, and manipulation of clusters of electrodes
• MRI visualization and coregistration:
  • Analysis on individual anatomy or MNI / Colin27 brain

  • Import MRI and meshes from most of the existing file formats (list here)

  • Co-registration with the MEG/EEG coordinate system
  • Volume rendering (several display modes)
  • Deformation of the MNI template to fit an set of digitized head points
• Database:
  • Classification of recordings with three levels of definition (protocol, subject, condition/event)
  • Quick access to all the data in a study
  • Quick comparison between subjects or conditions
  • Graphical batching tools (apply a same process to many files in a few clicks)
• Forward modeling:
  • MEG: Single sphere, overlapping spheres
  • EEG: Berg's three-layer sphere
  • Interactive interface to define the best fitting sphere
• Inverse modeling:
  • L2 Minimum-norm current estimates
  • dSPM
  • sLORETA
  • All methods can be cortically constrained or not, and with constrained orientations or not
• Source display and analysis:
  • Surface and volume rendering of the estimated sources
  • Re-projection of the sources in the MRI volume
  • Definition of cortical regions of interest (scouts)
  • Re-projection of estimated sources on a surface with a higher or lower definition
  • Spatial smoothing before group analysis
  • Easy screen captures, creation of movies and contact sheets
  • Import and display of xfit dipoles
• Time-frequency analysis:
  • Time-frequency decomposition of recordings and sources time series using Morlet wavelets
  • Time and frequency scales: linear or bands
  • Many display modes available
• Group analysis:
  • Registration of individual brains on the MNI "Colin27" brain
  • Statistical analysis (t-tests, permutations)
• Documentation and support:
  • Easy and automatic updates of the software
  • Detailed step by step tutorials for most of the common features
  • Active user forum

What you cannot do with Brainstorm

• Intensive pre-processing of MEG/EEG recordings (noise cancelling, artifact correction/rejection, etc.):
  => use your constructor's software, or other software solutions (MNE, EEGLab, FieldTrip, etc.). ?See here.

• MRI segmentation:
  => use FreeSurfer, BrainSuite or BrainVisa. ?See here.

Supported file formats

EEG:

• EGI NetStation epoch-marked file (.raw/.epoc)

• Neuroscan (.cnt, .eeg, .avg, .dat)

• BrainAmp (.eeg)

• EEGLab sets (.set)
• Cartool simple binary files (.ep, .eph)

• ErpCenter (.erp/.hdr)

• Any type of ASCII arrays

MEG:

• CTF (.ds directory)
• Neuromag FIFF (.fif)
• BTi / 4D Neuroimaging
• LENA format

Sensors locations:

• Cartool (.xyz, .els)
• BESA (.sfp, .elp, .eps/.ela)
• Polhemus Isotrak (.pos, .elp)
• Curry (.res, .rs3)
• EEGLab (.ced, .xyz, .set)
• EETrak (.elc)
• EGI (.sfp)
• EMSE (.elp)
• Neuroscan (.dat, .tri)
• ASCII arrays

MRI volumes:

• CTF (.mri)

• GIS (.ima/.dim) -- (brainVISA: )

• Analyze (.img/.hdr)
• Nifti-1 (.nii)
• Neuromag (.fif)
• MGH (.mgh, .mgz)

Meshes:

• BrainVISA (.mesh)

• BrainSuite (.dsgl, .dfs)

• FreeSurfer

• ASCII (.tri)
• Neuromag (.fif)

Noise covariance matrix:

• Neuromag / MNE (.fif)
• ASCII arrays