打開afni的默認安裝目錄～/abin,裏面有個對afni環境變量描述的文件README.environment。根據該文件對環境變量的功能描述，可以設置各種環境變量使得afni的操作簡潔。
舉個例子；
Variable: AFNI_GLOBAL_SESSION
-----------------------------
This variable, if it exists, is the name of a directory that contains
"global" datasets - ones that you want to be visible in each "Switch
Underlay" or "Switch Overlay" menu. Pointers to the datasets read
from this directory will be appended to the dataset list for each
directory read from the command line. In the "Switch" choosers, these
datasets are marked with the character 'G' at the right, and they
appear last in the list.
It really only makes sense to put +tlrc (i.e., in a template
space) datasets in the global session directory, since only they
can be presumed to be aligned with other datasets. Also, it is probably
best if you make sure each global anatomical dataset has itself
as the anatomy parent; this can be enforced by issuing the command
3drefit -apar SELF *.HEAD *.nii *.nii.gz
in the global session directory.
In my [RWC's] global session directory, there is one file:
MNI152_2009_template_SSW.nii.gz
which I copied there from the AFNI binaries download. In this way,
I always have available the human template which I use most often.
When you Switch Sessions and are viewing a global dataset, it is
likely that you will NOT be viewing the same dataset after the Switch
Session. You will have to then Switch Underlay and/or Switch Overlay
to get back to the same global dataset(s).
If you start AFNI and there are no datasets in the sessions given on
the command line, then the directory specified by this variable
becomes the default session. If there are no datasets there, either,
then AFNI makes up a dummy dataset (AFNI cannot operate without at
least one dataset present).
因此，如果我們將HOME/.afnirc文件進行編輯；
gedit .afnirc
AFNI_GLOBAL_SESSION = /home/zd/abin // dir w/ dsets you always see
保存好，然後任意路徑下打開afni都可以將～/abin目錄下的大腦模板文件加載到afni中。