Abcd Skill

ABCD Skill (Dataset-Orchestration Layer)

Overview

abcd-skill is the NeuroClaw orchestration skill for the ABCD Study (Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development) dataset.

It coordinates a fixed three-phase workflow:

1. Download ABCD data from the NIMH Data Archive (NDA).
2. Prepare and validate BIDS-style data organization for downstream processing.
3. Delegate modality pipelines to smri-skill, fmri-skill, and dwi-skill.

It also provides phenotype extraction and QC integration paths:

• Extract and merge ABCD phenotype tables (mental health, cognition, substance use, etc.).
• Generate per-subject QC summaries with exclusion lists.

This skill follows NeuroClaw hierarchy:

• Defines WHAT to do, not low-level implementation details.
• Does not execute direct shell commands itself.
• Delegates all execution via claw-shell to base/tool skills.

Research use only.

Download Stage (Mandatory First Step)

Source

ABCD data is distributed through the NIMH Data Archive (NDA):

• Website: https://abcdstudy.org/
• Data access: https://nda.nih.gov/ (requires NDA account and data use agreement)

Supported ABCD Data Packages

• ABCD Study 5.1 (latest release): includes imaging, phenotype, and biospecimen data
• Imaging data: T1w, T2w, dMRI, rs-fMRI, task-fMRI (NIfTI format)
• Phenotype data: tab-delimited files (abcd_p_tab, mental_health, cbcl, etc.)
• Derived imaging data: FreeSurfer, fMRIPrep outputs (if available from NDA)

Delegation Rules for Download

• Environment/setup checks: dependency-planner + conda-env-manager
• NDA download tool installation and execution: claw-shell
• Optional raw-data organization to BIDS-style staging: bids-organizer

Download Inputs to Confirm in Plan

• NDA credentials/authorized access
• Target data package (imaging only, phenotype only, or both)
• Subject list scope (full cohort or custom subset)
• ABCD release version (e.g., 5.1)
• Destination directory with sufficient disk space (ABCD imaging data can exceed 10 TB for full cohort)

Narrow Path: ABCD Raw NIfTI -> BIDS Staging

Use this path when the task only asks to reorganize raw ABCD NIfTI files into a BIDS-style dataset and does not require preprocessing, ROI extraction, phenotype merging, or downstream analysis.

When this narrow path should dominate

• The task objective is limited to ABCD NIfTI staging, BIDS renaming, sidecar handling, and dataset-level metadata.
• Inputs are already local ABCD NIfTI files or ABCD-style subject/session folders.
• The required deliverable is a direct staging script or command sequence, not a plan for fMRIPrep or downstream analysis.

Narrow-path contract

• Do not widen the solution to fMRIPrep, ROI extraction, phenotype merging, or downstream analysis unless the task explicitly requires them.
• Treat this as a direct file-organization problem: scan ABCD subject/session layout, normalize subject labels, map modalities to BIDS names, copy or symlink NIfTI plus matching sidecars, and write dataset-level metadata plus staging logs.
• If the task is benchmark-style, prefer a single direct end-to-end staging script over a confirmation-first orchestration plan.

Expected narrow-path behavior

1. Detect ABCD-style subject IDs (NDAR format, e.g., NDAR_INVXXXXXXXX) and normalize to BIDS labels such as sub-NDARINVXXXXXXXX.
2. Detect visit/timepoint information and normalize to session labels such as ses-baselineYear1Arm1, ses-2YearFollowUpYArm1, etc.
3. Route modalities:
   • T1w -> anat/*_T1w
   • T2w -> anat/*_T2w
   • dMRI/DWI -> dwi/*_dwi
   • rs-fMRI -> func/*_task-rest_bold
   • task-fMRI -> func/*_task-<taskname>_bold
4. Preserve or rename matching JSON sidecars when available; if metadata is absent, create only the minimal dataset files required by the task and log the limitation.
5. Emit dataset-level outputs such as dataset_description.json, participants.tsv, README, and a manifest or skipped-file report.

Core Workflow (Never Bypassed)

1. Identify user target: full ABCD download, imaging subset, phenotype extraction, or BIDS staging only.
2. Generate a numbered plan with tools, outputs, runtime, storage, and risks.
3. Wait for explicit confirmation (YES / execute / proceed).
4. On confirmation, run download stage first (if needed).
5. After download success, run BIDS preparation using scripts/reorganize_abcd.py.
6. Delegate sequentially or in parallel to:
   • smri-skill for structural MRI (T1w, T2w)
   • fmri-skill for functional MRI (rs-fMRI, task-fMRI)
   • dwi-skill for diffusion MRI (dMRI)
7. If phenotype extraction is requested, run scripts/extract_abcd_phenotype.py.
8. If QC summary is requested, run scripts/abcd_qc_summary.py.
9. Save outputs into an ABCD-centered structure under abcd_output/.

Input Layout (Example)

Subject NDAR_INVXXXXXXXX (multimodal imaging + phenotype):

abcd_raw/
  ndar_subject01/
    baselineYear1Arm1/
      T1w/
        sub-NDARINVXXXXXXXX_ses-baselineYear1Arm1_T1w.nii.gz
        sub-NDARINVXXXXXXXX_ses-baselineYear1Arm1_T1w.json
      T2w/
        sub-NDARINVXXXXXXXX_ses-baselineYear1Arm1_T2w.nii.gz
        sub-NDARINVXXXXXXXX_ses-baselineYear1Arm1_T2w.json
      dwi/
        sub-NDARINVXXXXXXXX_ses-baselineYear1Arm1_dwi.nii.gz
        sub-NDARINVXXXXXXXX_ses-baselineYear1Arm1_dwi.bval
        sub-NDARINVXXXXXXXX_ses-baselineYear1Arm1_dwi.bvec
        sub-NDARINVXXXXXXXX_ses-baselineYear1Arm1_dwi.json
      func/
        sub-NDARINVXXXXXXXX_ses-baselineYear1Arm1_task-rest_bold.nii.gz
        sub-NDARINVXXXXXXXX_ses-baselineYear1Arm1_task-rest_bold.json
  phenotype/
    abcd_p_tab.csv
    mental_health.csv
    cbcl.csv

BIDS Preparation

Script: scripts/reorganize_abcd.py

Converts ABCD raw directory structure to BIDS-compliant layout.

python skills/abcd-skill/scripts/reorganize_abcd.py \
  --input /path/to/abcd_raw \
  --output /path/to/abcd_bids \
  --participants-file /path/to/abcd_raw/phenotype/abcd_p_tab.csv

Features:

• Subject ID normalization: NDAR format to BIDS sub-NDARINVXXXXXXXX
• Session mapping: ABCD event names to BIDS ses- labels
• Modality routing: T1w, T2w, dMRI, rs-fMRI, task-fMRI
• Sidecar JSON preservation and validation
• dataset_description.json and participants.tsv generation
• Dry-run mode: --dry-run to preview without copying

Multimodal Processing Delegation

After BIDS staging completes, abcd-skill delegates by modality:

Delegation Strategy

• If user asks for full multimodal ABCD analysis: run sMRI -> fMRI -> dMRI in ordered phases.
• If user asks for one modality only: call only the corresponding modality skill.
• If compute resources are adequate and the user approves parallel runs: run modality pipelines in parallel after shared prerequisites are ready.

Phenotype Extraction

Script: scripts/extract_abcd_phenotype.py

Extracts and merges ABCD phenotype tables for downstream analysis.

python skills/abcd-skill/scripts/extract_abcd_phenotype.py \
  --phenotype-dir /path/to/abcd_raw/phenotype \
  --output /path/to/abcd_output/phenotype/merged_phenotype.csv \
  --columns src_subject_id,eventname,sex,age,cbcl_total,ksads_dx \
  --imaging-ids /path/to/abcd_output/bids/participants.tsv

Features:

• Reads ABCD tab-delimited phenotype files
• Column selection and renaming
• Visit/event alignment (baselineYear1Arm1, 2YearFollowUpYArm1, etc.)
• Missing value handling (filter or impute)
• Cross-reference with imaging subject list to keep only subjects with both imaging and phenotype data
• Outputs merged CSV ready for statistical analysis or model training

QC Integration

Script: scripts/abcd_qc_summary.py

Generates per-subject QC summaries and exclusion lists.

python skills/abcd-skill/scripts/abcd_qc_summary.py \
  --fmriprep-dir /path/to/abcd_output/fmriprep \
  --freesurfer-dir /path/to/abcd_output/smri/freesurfer \
  --raw-qc /path/to/abcd_raw/phenotype/abcd_imgincl01.csv \
  --output /path/to/abcd_output/qc/qc_summary.csv \
  --exclude-output /path/to/abcd_output/qc/exclude_list.csv \
  --fd-threshold 0.3 \
  --coverage-threshold 0.8

Features:

• Reads fMRIPrep confounds (framewise displacement, DVARS)
• Reads FreeSurfer recon-all QC metrics
• Incorporates ABCD native QC flags (imgincl01: include_t1, include_dti, etc.)
• Applies exclusion criteria: motion threshold (FD), coverage threshold, structural quality
• Outputs per-subject QC summary CSV and exclusion list CSV

Recommended Output Layout

All assets should be organized under ./abcd_output/:

• abcd_output/raw/ (downloaded original ABCD files)
• abcd_output/bids/ (staged BIDS data)
• abcd_output/staging/ (optional normalized staging intermediate)
• abcd_output/smri/ (links or copies from smri_output/)
• abcd_output/fmri/ (links or copies from fmri_output/)
• abcd_output/dwi/ (links or copies from dwi_output/)
• abcd_output/phenotype/ (merged phenotype tables)
• abcd_output/qc/ (QC summaries and exclusion lists)
• abcd_output/logs/ (download + orchestration logs)

Benchmark Adapter Guidance

For benchmark-style prompts, do not force the full download -> staging -> multimodal processing orchestration when the task is only asking for local ABCD data staging or organization.

• If the task starts from raw ABCD data already present on disk and only asks for BIDS-style staging / organization:
  • skip the mandatory download stage
  • do not automatically delegate to smri-skill, fmri-skill, or dwi-skill
  • default to the narrow path local raw ABCD discovery -> BIDS-style staging -> minimal metadata -> validation/report
• In benchmark mode, do not require explicit confirmation before presenting the direct staging solution.
• Preserve the ABCD-centered output contract under abcd_output/bids/ when the task is specifically a staging benchmark.
• Only use the full multimodal orchestration and confirmation-heavy workflow when the prompt explicitly asks for download, end-to-end multimodal ABCD processing, or post-staging structural / functional / diffusion analysis.

Safety and Execution Policy

• No execution before explicit plan confirmation.
• All execution must be routed via claw-shell.
• Missing dependencies must be resolved by dependency-planner before running.
• If download fails for partial subjects, continue batch with clear failure report and retry list.

Important Notes and Limitations

• ABCD multimodal processing is resource intensive (CPU, RAM, and storage). Full cohort imaging data exceeds 10 TB.
• NDA download requires authenticated access and compliance with the ABCD Data Use Agreement.
• ABCD subject IDs use NDAR format; normalization to BIDS labels must be consistent across all stages.
• ABCD has multiple follow-up timepoints (baselineYear1Arm1 through 4YearFollowUpYArm1); session handling must account for longitudinal structure.
• ABCD phenotype tables use tab-delimited format with specific column naming conventions; column names may change across releases.
• abcd-skill is orchestration-only; detailed preprocessing logic remains in smri-skill, fmri-skill, and dwi-skill.
• For highest-fidelity preprocessing, optionally delegate to fmriprep-tool and hcppipeline-tool as alternative routes.

When to Call This Skill

• User asks for end-to-end ABCD Study workflow.
• User asks to download ABCD data and then run sMRI/fMRI/dMRI processing.
• User needs BIDS staging for raw ABCD NIfTI files.
• User asks to extract and merge ABCD phenotype tables.
• User asks for ABCD-specific QC summaries and exclusion lists.
• User needs a single entry point for ABCD multimodal orchestration.

Complementary / Related Skills

• smri-skill
• fmri-skill
• dwi-skill
• bids-organizer
• fmriprep-tool
• freesurfer-tool
• neurostorm
• brain_gnn
• dependency-planner
• conda-env-manager
• claw-shell

Reference

• ABCD Study: https://abcdstudy.org/
• NIMH Data Archive: https://nda.nih.gov/
• ABCD BIDS App: https://github.com/ABCD-STUDY/abcd-bids-tfmri
• BIDS spec: https://bids.neuroimaging.io/

Created At: 2026-05-06 01:30 HKT Last Updated At: 2026-05-06 01:30 HKT Author: chengwang96