ENIGMA

ENIGMA (Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis) is a worldwide consortium of researchers led by Dr. Paul Thompson at USC dedicated to identifying the genetic basis of brain structure and function, along with the alterations seen various psychiatric and neurological disorders. ENIGMA currently has 41 working groups, and the ENIGMA Brain Injury working group is led by Drs. Elisabeth Wilde, David Tate, and Emily Dennis, faculty Traumatic Brain Injury and Concussion Center at the University of Utah, and currently includes 133 researchers across 12 countries.

ENIGMA Brain Injury is divided into subgroups based mostly on patient population and injury mechanism, including Military Brain Injury, Pediatric Moderate-Severe TBI, Adult Moderate-Severe TBI, Sports-Related Head Injury, Acute Civilian Mild TBI, Intimate Partner Violence, and a methods group focused on Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy. Unlike other large consortia, ENIGMA is not a data repository, and the level at which data is shared is flexible.

Many collaborators will choose to download and use image processing scripts that are available on the ENIGMA website. These have been robustly tested for stability across site and allow for harmonized analysis. For more clinically-oriented collaborators without the expertise or resources to process data, raw data can be shared with BRAIN-IAC. With the ENIGMA framework, we can benefit both from the large amount of data that has been collected around the world and the large amount of intellectual power contained within these research groups.

Analyses are discussed amongst the groups on regular calls, and all members are invited to submit secondary analysis proposals. With the increased statistical power in ENIGMA Brain Injury, we can address open questions in the field, such as sex differences in outcome after injury, the impact of comorbidities, and how demographic and clinical variables may cluster to reveal clinically meaningful patient subtypes.

The ENIGMA consortium is developing a free online course in science literacy, statistics and neuroimaging for high school students. We hope to have all modules completed by the end of 2022. To enroll in the course or to find out how you can help, click the link below.