ModelArray: a memory-efficient R package for statistical analysis of fixel data

Diffusion MRI is the dominant non-invasive imaging method used to characterize white matter organization in health and disease. Increasingly, fiber-specific properties within a voxel are analyzed using fixels. While tools for conducting statistical analyses of fixel data exist, currently available tools are memory intensive, difficult to scale to large datasets, and support only a limited number of statistical models. Here we introduce ModelArray, a memory-efficient R package for mass-univariate statistical analysis of fixel data. With only several lines of code, even large fixel datasets can be analyzed using a standard personal computer. At present, ModelArray supports linear models as well as generalized additive models (GAMs), which are particularly useful for studying nonlinear effects in lifespan data. Detailed memory profiling revealed that ModelArray required only limited memory even for large datasets. As an example, we applied ModelArray to fixel data derived from diffusion images acquired as part of the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort (n=938). ModelArray required far less memory than existing tools and revealed anticipated nonlinear developmental effects in white matter. Moving forward, ModelArray is supported by an open-source software development model that can incorporate additional statistical models and other imaging data types. Taken together, ModelArray provides an efficient and flexible platform for statistical analysis of fixel data. HIGHLIGHTS ![Figure][1] ### Competing Interest Statement R.T.S. has consulting income from Octave Bioscience. A.M.V. did not receive funding or consulting fees as it pertains to this work but is currently an employee of Genentech, Inc.. The remaining authors declare no competing interests. [1]: pending:yes