ENIGMA-anxiety working group: Rationale for and organization of large-scale neuroimaging studies of anxiety disorders

Authors

Janna Marie Bas-Hoogendam
Nynke A. Groenewold
Moji Aghajani
Gabrielle F. Freitag
Anita Harrewijn
Kevin Hilbert
Neda Jahanshad
Sophia I. Thomopoulos
Paul M. Thompson
Anderson M. Winkler, The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-2022

Abstract

Anxiety disorders are highly prevalent and disabling but seem particularly tractable to investigation with translational neuroscience methodologies. Neuroimaging has informed our understanding of the neurobiology of anxiety disorders, but research has been limited by small sample sizes and low statistical power, as well as heterogenous imaging methodology. The ENIGMA-Anxiety Working Group has brought together researchers from around the world, in a harmonized and coordinated effort to address these challenges and generate more robust and reproducible findings. This paper elaborates on the concepts and methods informing the work of the working group to date, and describes the initial approach of the four subgroups studying generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and specific phobia. At present, the ENIGMA-Anxiety database contains information about more than 100 unique samples, from 16 countries and 59 institutes. Future directions include examining additional imaging modalities, integrating imaging and genetic data, and collaborating with other ENIGMA working groups. The ENIGMA consortium creates synergy at the intersection of global mental health and clinical neuroscience, and the ENIGMA-Anxiety Working Group extends the promise of this approach to neuroimaging research on anxiety disorders.

Comments

© 2020 The Authors.

Recommended Citation

Bas‐Hoogendam, J. M., Groenewold, N. A., Aghajani, M., Freitag, G. F., Harrewijn, A., Hilbert, K., ... & Suchan. (2022). ENIGMA‐anxiety working group: Rationale for and organization of large‐scale neuroimaging studies of anxiety disorders. Human Brain Mapping, 43(1), 83-112. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.25100

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Publication Title

Human Brain Mapping

DOI

10.1002/hbm.25100

Academic Level

faculty

Mentor/PI Department

Office of Human Genetics