ENIGMA Gyrification Working Group

 

Objective:

Gyrification represents a fundamental folding process of the human cerebral cortex and reflects neurodevelopmental, genetic, and environmental influences across the lifespan. The ENIGMA Gyrification Working Group which was initiated in February 2026 conducts harmonized imaging genetics studies using MRI-derived local gyrification index (LGI) phenotypes [1] based on international population and clinical cohorts providing reproducible and robust results. In addition, the working group will investigate cortical folding across development, aging, and neuropsychiatric diseases. Heritability analyses in samples of over 3000 individuals showed evidence for a genetically determined influence on the folding of the brain. Current efforts of the working group entail genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on LGI across different brain regions including several regions defined by cytoarchitectonic maps from the Julich-Brain Atlas [2] using FreeSurfer [3].

[1] Schaer et al. 2008 (PMID: 18334438); [2] Amunts et al. 2020 (PMID: 32732281); [3] Dale, Fischl & Sereno 1999 (PMID: 9931268)

 

Steering committee:

University Medicine Greifswald, Germany

Research Centre Jülich, Germany & University of Basel, Switzerland

Katharina Wittfeld

Wittfeld Katharina

Alexander Teumer

Teumer Alexander

Thomas Mühleisen

Muehleisen Thomas

Thomas Mühleisen

Cichon Sven

 

Contact:

ENIGMA_Gyrification@listen.uni-greifswald.de
 

Joining the working group:

We welcome population-based, clinical, family-based, and lifespan cohorts having structural MRI and genetic data for conducting large-scale harmonized analyses of gyrification phenotypes on a collaborative basis.

What do you need to participate?

  • Structural MRI data (T1 brain images, FreeSurfer and MATLAB software for image processing)
  • Genome-wide genetic data

Group members will receive standardized protocols and scripts to facilitate harmonized analyses across cohorts.
 
 
What data will be shared?

  • Cohort-specific GWAS summary statistics to run meta-analyses
  • Phenotype-related summary statistics for quality control and harmonization purposes
  • No individual data needs to be shared

Please let us know, if you have any questions or need support with phenotype extraction or running the GWAS.

Researchers interested in joining our group should complete the collaborationsurvey. Please contact the steering committee viaemail in case of any questions.
 

News:

16th June 2026 - Presentation of pilot study on heritability, OHBM, Bordeaux, France (presentation 2754)
 
 

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