Global effort to harmonize fMRI findings in psychiatry
Official title: Global Initiative for Harmonized Functional MRI in Psychiatry
Funded at University of Southern California · NIH-11603614 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A large, international effort will standardize how brain MRI data are collected and analyzed in people with various mental health conditions to improve consistency and discovery.
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 | August 6, 2026 |
| Project end | July 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $194,400 |
| NIH project number | 3R01MH142539-01S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11603614 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Individuals with ADHD, ASD, PTSD, MDD, BD, OCD, SCZ, or AN, across a wide age range, who participate in neuroimaging studies or have existing rs-fMRI data.
✕Less likely to help
People without access to neuroimaging facilities or those not contributing data to international repositories may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This project brings together researchers from many labs worldwide to create common methods and tools for resting-state functional MRI in psychiatry. By pooling and harmonizing data across eight disorders, the effort aims to identify reliable brain patterns that cut across conditions. The team plans to develop AI-based tools to standardize analyses and enable global replication of findings. Results could help improve diagnosis, subtyping, and monitoring of treatment effects in patients. The work builds on established collaboration networks to push neuroimaging science toward more trustworthy, transdiagnostic insights.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could see more accurate diagnoses and better-tailored treatments based on harmonized brain biomarkers.
How similar studies have gone: Prior multi-site imaging efforts have shown the value of large, harmonized datasets, though full transdiagnostic standardization is still emerging.
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
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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.