Introduction to Resting-State Functional Connectivity Analysis: You Can Do It! (Maybe)

A while ago I promised to provide a series of tutorials on resting-state connectivity, and I'm happy to announce the first part after a brief delay of, give or take, fourteen months. But in my defense, I wanted to wait until I had everything well prepared and ready to go, by which I mean until I had a new suit, which, obviously, is a critical part of the education process.

For this series, in order to follow along I recommend downloading resting-state data from the ABIDE website, which collects resting-state data from autistic subjects and controls. The end result will be a simple comparison of resting-state networks across both populations, which, although the interpretation of such results has a large farrago of its own issues, should provide a solid platform from which to launch your own resting-state analyses. We will be using AFNI for this demonstration, although in the future I may include an identical analysis using FSL.

First, you need to jump through the usual administrative hoops in order to download the dataset. This involves a simple series of steps, such as registering as a member, filling out a form with your username and password, and immolating a virginal undergraduate RA. The resulting aroma will summon the resting-state data, which can then be downloaded to your computer.

First, register at the NITRC website: http://www.nitrc.org/account/register.php
Two, request access from the following link: http://fcon_1000.projects.nitrc.org/indi/req_access.html
Last, go to the ABIDE website and download a resting-state dataset (I am using data from the Kennedy Krieger Institute): http://fcon_1000.projects.nitrc.org/indi/abide/

As for finding and sacrificing the virginal undergraduate RA, you're on your own.