Global effort to find brain and genetic markers of OCD
Official title: MEGA-OCD: A Global Data-Driven Initiative to Discover Biosignatures of OCD
Funded at University of Southern California · NIH-11481349 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project combines brain scans and genetic information from people with OCD around the world to find biological patterns that help explain how OCD starts, changes, and responds to treatment.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Southern California NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | December 2, 2024 |
| Project end | October 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $174,111 |
| NIH project number | 3R01MH138569-02S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11481349 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People of any age with a diagnosis of OCD—including children and adults from diverse geographic and ethnic backgrounds—would be appropriate candidates to contribute scans, genetic samples, or clinical data.
✕Less likely to help
People without OCD, those seeking immediate symptom relief, or anyone unable to undergo MRI scanning should not expect direct benefit from participation.
What this research studies
This initiative pools neuroimaging, genetic, and clinical data from many sites worldwide to create the largest OCD dataset to date. Researchers will harmonize scans and clinical measures so data collected at different hospitals can be analyzed together. The work includes children and adults with OCD and aims to link brain circuitry and genes to symptom patterns and treatment outcomes. Findings will come from reanalyzing existing datasets and coordinating new data contributions from participating centers.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could lead to biomarkers that help personalize treatment choices and predict who will benefit from specific therapies.
How similar studies have gone: Earlier consortia like ENIGMA-OCD have suggested brain differences in OCD but had limited and sometimes inconsistent results, so this much larger, harmonized effort is a novel step toward more definitive findings.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Thompson, Paul M — University of Southern California
- Study coordinator: Thompson, Paul M
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.