MIDB Researchers Support Breakthrough in Reliability of Brain Studies

A new paper published in Nature demonstrates how thoughtful study design can greatly improve the reliability of brain-wide association studies (BWAS). These studies use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to uncover relationships between individual differences in brain structure or function and human behavior or health.

The research, a collaboration between Vanderbilt University, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Minnesota, found that selecting study participants to reflect a wider range of characteristics– such as including both younger and older individuals in studies on age-related brain changes– produces more reliable findings than random or narrowly focused sampling.

The Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain (MIDB) had seven researchers involved, including Brenden Tervo-Clemmens, PhD, LP, Anita Randolph, PhD, Bart Larsen, PhD, Eric Feczko, PhD, Oscar Miranda Dominguez, PhD, MS, Steve Nelson, PhD, and Damien Fair, PhD. 

“Our researchers played a key role in this collaboration by curating and providing functional neuroimaging datasets for the study, which were essential in enabling this type of large-scale simulation and analysis,” said Brenden Tervo-Clemmens, PhD, LP, a member of MIDB and an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Minnesota Medical School.

This study is part of a broader MIDB initiative to curate and share large-scale neuroimaging datasets. By making these resources available, MIDB enables researchers worldwide to develop models like those in the Nature study, advancing the understanding of brain development and mental health.

“The idea of making data available and curating data as a service to the community really makes us unique,” Tervo-Clemmens said. “This work reflects MIDB’s mission to foster collaborations and create tools that drive real progress in brain science and mental health research.”