fMRIVolume pipeline: steps after minimal preprocessing

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Matthieu Vanhoutte

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Aug 21, 2025, 10:52:03 AMAug 21
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Hello experts,

I am new to HCP data/pipeline and after downloading "100206_Rest3TRecommended.zip" on BALSA, I have some questions regarding the steps after the minimal processing pipeline for rs-fMRI data. 

It seems that the processed rs-fMRI volume file in "MNINonLinear/Results" is "rfMRI_REST1_LR_hp2000_clean_rclean_tclean.nii.gz". With the help of the reference manual and papers from Glasser and Smith (and even the HCP-Users conversations), I've managed to identify the followings:
  • hp2000: high-pass filtering
  • clean: sICA+FIX cleaning
But got some troubles with the followings:
  • rclean: Is this motion-regression? If this is the case, wasn't it prohibited before? Where are regressors data?
  • tclean:Is this tICA cleaning?
I would be very grateful if someone could help me and redirect me to appropriate documentation.

Best regards,
Matthieu

Glasser, Matthew

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Aug 21, 2025, 11:18:42 AMAug 21
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The recommended file to use is ${StudyFolder}/${Subject}/MNINonLinear/Results/rfMRI_REST_MSMAll_hp2000_clean_rclean_tclean.dtseries.nii.

 

This CIFTI grayodinates file has:

  1. Been aligned across individuals on the cortical surface using multi-modal information including functional information so that cortical areas and functional networks are properly aligned.  This is discussed in Glasser et al., 2016 Nature (the particular version used in HCP-YA).
  2. Cleaned with spatial ICA denoising to remove spatially specific artifacts (e.g., from head motion).  _clean_rclean means that an improved classification was done of the spatial ICA components.  New from before, these data do not have movement regressors removed, because that was found to be deleterious (Glasser et al., 2019 Neuroimage).
  3. Clean with temporal ICA denoising to remove global artifacts (e.g., from respiration variation).  This is discussed in Glasser et al., 2018 Neuroimage.

 

NIFTI volume data are not recommended for primary analyses.  There are cases in which it is helpful to have both CIFTI and volume outputs, but those are rarer.  The reasons for this are discussed in Coalson et al., 2018 PNAS and Glasser et al., 2016 Nature Neuroscience.

 

Matt.

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Matthieu Vanhoutte

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Aug 26, 2025, 12:41:51 PM (12 days ago) Aug 26
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Thanks Matt for this clarification!

My aim is to compute correlation/covariance matrices based on specific atlas.

Is there any easy way to convert these specific (volume) atlas to be functional with the CIFTI grayordinates file?

Best,
Matthieu

Glasser, Matthew

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Aug 26, 2025, 5:02:20 PM (12 days ago) Aug 26
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There isn’t a good way to do that for the same reason that we don’t recommend volume-based analysis of the cerebral cortex in humans.  Please see Coalson et al., 2018 PNAS for why.

Matthieu Vanhoutte

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Aug 27, 2025, 4:36:46 AM (11 days ago) Aug 27
to HCP-Users, glas...@wustl.edu
So, if I want to compute correlation matrices on grayordinates file (surface cortex + volume subcortical) there is no way using an atlas that would be also grayordinates file? 

Isn't it possible to project a volume atlas on the cortical surface and keep the subcortical as volume to be in line with CIFTI file?

Glasser, Matthew

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Aug 27, 2025, 6:32:23 AM (11 days ago) Aug 27
to Matthieu Vanhoutte, HCP-Users

There is no way to project a group volume atlas to the surface that is as accurate as if your group atlas were properly made on the surface.  The problem is with the group volume atlas, not with the grayordinates or surface files.

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