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Commentary - Research and Reports on Genetics (2022) Volume 4, Issue 1
Issues of ethics in international collaborations in neuroimaging genetics.
Neuroimaging genetics is a fast growing discipline that investigates how genetic variation effects brain shape and function by combining neuropsychiatric genetics studies with imaging modalities. As genetic and imaging technologies advance, their combined promise for enhancing mental nosology, diagnosis, and therapy may become more apparent. While neuroimaging genetics research have several scientific benefits, they also have certain drawbacks. Global neuroimaging genetics collaborations have been formed in response to some of these issues, with the goal of pooling and comparing brain data and replicating study findings. Although ethical issues have received attention in genetics, neuroimaging, and multi-site collaborative research, there have been few serious studies of the ethical issues raised by the intersection of these fields in global neuroimaging genetics collaborations. The benefits and risks of global neuroimaging genetics collaborations, as well as the potential impact of neuroimaging genetics research discoveries in low- and middle-income nations, are the topics of our conversation. Global neuroimaging genetics partnerships have the potential to improve cross-national connections and address global mental health issues, but there are hazards associated with unfairness, exploitation, and data sharing. Furthermore, in low- and middle-income countries, neuroimaging genetics research must address the issue of feedback of findings as well as the potential of essentializing and stigmatising mental disease interpretations.
Author(s): Joseph Tim