Towards Integrative Brain Imaging: Introducing a Multitudinal Strategy

Technological advances in brain imaging have contributed to a feature-rich explosion of data (e.g., detailed open-source dataset annotations, diverse task paradigms, multiple modalities, etc). However, the field is still far from fully understanding brain function and how its dynamics change across different clinical and behavioral contexts. This is, at least in part, due to the persistent challenges of integrating data across scales, timepoints, individuals, datasets, modalities, species and regional contexts. While not a new problem, this is an especially exciting time to adopt a wider integrative practice: increasingly accessible tools, technologies, datasets, and interdisciplinary training opportunities make it more feasible than ever, We focus on four promising opportunities for integration that the field can embrace: multi-modal (leveraging different brain imaging techniques and non-imaging data), multi-scale (shifting from mono-scale to multi-scale descriptions and analyses), multi-species (adopting study designs that include more than one species), and multi-geographical (incorporating expansive socio-geographical diversity, e.g., rural, Indigenous, and other populace types). This work is both a call-to-action and a resource, endeavoring to improve interoperability across scientific approaches and sectors as we collectively strive to demystify the complexities of the human brain.