A graphical pipeline platform for MRS data processing and analysis: MRSpecLAB

Ying Xiao^1,2Antonia Kaiser¹Matthias Kockisch¹Alex Back³Robin Carlet¹Xinyu Liu^1,2Zhiwei Huang¹André Döring¹Mark Widmaier¹Lijing Xin^1*

• ¹Center for Biomedical Imaging (CIBM), Lausanne, Switzerland
• ²Laboratory for Functional and Metabolic Imaging, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
• ³Department of Physics, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI), are non-invasive techniques used to quantify biochemical compounds in tissue, such as choline, creatine, glutamate, glutamine, γ-aminobutyric acid, N-acetylaspartate, etc. However, reliable quantification of MRS and MRSI data is challenging due to the complex processing steps involved, often requiring advanced expertise. Existing data processing software solutions often demand MRS expertise or coding knowledge, presenting a steep learning curve for novel users. Mastering these tools typically requires a long training time, which can be a barrier for users with limited technical backgrounds.To address these challenges and create a tool that serves researchers using MRS/MRSI with a broad range of backgrounds, we developed MRSpecLAB-an open-access, user-friendly software platform for MRS and MRSI data analysis. MRSpecLAB is designed for easy installation and features an intuitive graphical pipeline editor that supports both predefined and customizable workflows. It also serves as a platform offering standardized pipelines while allowing users to integrate in-house functions for additional flexibility. Importantly, MRSpecLAB is envisioned as an open platform beyond the MRS community, bridging the gap between technical experts and practitioners. It facilitates contributions, collaboration, and the sharing of data workflows and processing methodologies for diverse MRS/MRSI applications, supporting reproducibility practices.