Building an open infrastructure for molecular neuroimaging: standards and tools from the OpenNeuroPET initiative

Abstract

Molecular neuroimaging with positron emission tomography (PET) and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) enables quantification of specific molecular targets in the living brain. Despite its scientific impact, molecular neuroimaging research has historically faced challenges due to high costs, small sample sizes, laboratory-specific analysis pipelines, and limited large-scale data sharing. These factors have hindered reproducibility and the broader reuse of valuable PET datasets. The OpenNeuroPET initiative was established to address these barriers by developing standards, infrastructure, and open-source tools currently focused on PET. Through collaborations across Europe and North America, OpenNeuroPET has supported the PET extension of the Brain Imaging Data Structure (PET-BIDS), providing a standardized framework for PET datasets and metadata. Building on PET-BIDS, tools such as PET2BIDS, ezBIDS, and BIDSCoin facilitate data conversion and curation. In parallel, OpenNeuro now hosts PET-BIDS datasets for open sharing, while complementary platforms such as PublicnEUro provide controlled-access pathways designed to support compliance with the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Emerging open-source workflows further support automated, reproducible PET analysis, promoting harmonization across centers. Together, these developments mark an important step toward an open molecular neuroimaging community in which datasets, software, and workflows can be transparently shared, reused, and scaled for collaborative research.