On Oct. 21, 2024, in one of the largest-ever studies of DNA and brain volume, researchers announced they had identified 254 genetic variants that shape key structures in the “deep brain,” including those that control memory, motor skills, addictive behaviors and more.

The study was powered by the Enhancing Neuro Imaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) consortium, an international effort based at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, which unites more than 1,000 research labs across 45 countries to hunt for genetic variations that affect the brain’s structure and function.

A team of 189 researchers collected DNA samples and magnetic resonance imaging brain scans, which measured volume in key subcortical regions — also known as the “deep brain” — from 74,898 participants. They then performed genome-wide association studies, or GWAS, an approach that can identify genetic variations linked to various traits or diseases, finding some gene-brain volume associations that carried a higher risk for Parkinson’s disease and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The study findings were published in the journal Nature Genetics.