NeuroElf is a Matlab-based toolbox for working with neuro-imaging data. Please be aware that NeuroElf was and is not meant as a replacement of any of the more traditional and full-fledged neuro-imaging tools (such as BrainVoyager QX, SPM, AFNI, FSL, FreeSurfer, …), but rather meant to be used in addition to those, as it augments their functionality, facilitating some of the tasks that might otherwise be more difficult to achieve for those researchers who are not as familiar with coding their own routines in Matlab.

Core elements of the toolbox are a flexible file handling class, xff, which gives the user read and write access to the formats used by the above mentioned programs, a GUI element handling class, xfigure, that ameliorates some of the issues I encountered while working with Matlab's uicontrols (such as applying changes to groups of elements and facilitate the somewhat cumbersome access to GUI settings), as well as transimg, a class that allows stacking layers of image data for combination to images, and transio, an implementation allowing to work with large files without having to read their entire contents into memory.

Additionally, some automatization routines (e.g. a small UI for batching preprocessing of multiple subjects in SPM5/8), analysis functionality (robust regression of second-level neuroimaging data), as well as rudimentary visualization capabilities (display of slice-based overlays of statistical results on anatomical data) are provided.

To install the toolbox, download from one of the links on the main index page. For the first file/link (installer) unzip the archive, which contains two files: NeuroElf_v09b.m and NeuroElf_v09b.mat. Open Matlab, change into the folder where you unpacked the archive and enter:

NeuroElf_v09b -i

This will ask for a target folder and then perform the installation.

If, instead, you download the zipped folder or snapshot, please unzip, manually add (without subfolders!) to the path, and then enter:

neuroelf_setup

Remember to add the path permanently if you wish to keep NeuroElf available whenever you start up Matlab.