Open science : International data exchange for sharing primate neuroimaging datasets

The goal of the PRIME-DE ¹ data exchange is to make primate brain imaging datasets acquired in laboratories available to the entire scientific community. PRIME-DE was created by an international consortium of 22 teams—including six from the CNRS, INSERM, and the CEA—all working with macaques. Because the brains of macaques are organized so similarly to our own, these animals are crucial to the study of human brain function and pathology. The PRIME-DE initiative, presented in an article published in Neuron on September 27, 2018, should enhance the statistical relevance of acquired data and limit the number of animals used in research. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become a choice method for brain studies. The noninvasive technique allows for very precise analysis of the organization and functioning (using functional MRI for blood flow measurements) of cerebral structures, and it even enables description of the neuronal networks linking distant regions of the brain. Research on nonhuman primates remains an essential step in advancing neuroscientific knowledge and developing new therapies, because the structure and functioning of these animals' brains are so similar to those of humans.