The ENIGMA (Enhancing Neuro-Imaging and Genetics through Meta-Analyses) consortium aims to understand the human brain, both in health and disease, based on brain imaging and genetic data. Researchers from all over the world, including several principal investigators and staff of Amsterdam Neuroscience, are part of the ENIGMA consortium. With over 2000 scientists across >45 countries, the consortium brings together researchers from the fields of imaging genomics, neurology and psychiatry. Recently a special issue was released to mark the ten-year anniversary of this global consortium.

Active working groups

With 50 active working groups, the ENIGMA consortium has several goals: create a network of like-minded individuals, interested in pushing forward the field of imaging genetics and ensure that promising findings are replicated, share ideas, algorithms, data, and information on research studies and methods. But also facilitate training, including workshops and conferences on key methods and emerging directions in imaging genetics.

Ten-year of collaboration

Within the special anniversary issue, Odile van den Heuvel, and professor of Neuropsychiatry at Amsterdam UMC and chair of the ENIGMA obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) working group, and colleagues have written an overview of the first years of their worldwide collaboration. This article outlines the background, development and initial findings of the ENIGMA OCD working group, showing the power of worldwide collaboration.

Find the full issue here or the OCD overview article here.