IMAGEMEND is a study with focus
on development of effective imaging
tools for diagnosis, monitoring
and management of mental disorders.

Mental disorders are leading causes of disability, absence from work and premature retirement in Europe. While magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) facilities are broadly available and a vast research literature exists, few neuroimaging applications have reached clinical practice in psychiatry. A major problem is that mental illnesses are currently diagnosed as discrete entities defined clinically. Instead, recent results show that mental disorders are best understood as quantitative alterations in neural systems relevant across traditional diagnostic boundaries that reflect individual, genetic and environmental risk factors.

In the IMAGEMEND consortium, we aim to discover these systems to identify the patient characteristics most relevant for treatment, derive biomarkers and decision rules from this systems-level dimensional account, and systematically validate biomarker panels in patient, high-risk and epidemiological samples to produce automated imaging-based diagnostic and predictive tests tailored for wide distribution throughout Europe in standard clinical settings.

Focusing on schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, we have assembled one of Europe’s largest datasets combining neuroimaging, genetic, environmental, cognitive and clinical information on approximately 13.000 participants, and have recruited international replication datasets of more than 30.000 people. This unique resource will be processed using a new generation of multivariate statistical analysis tools to optimize existing imaging technology for the benefit of patients. We will also develop new imaging technology to enable the direct imaging-based therapeutic modification of neural circuits through rapid real-time MRI.

Our deliverables will promote personalized treatment through more accurate patient stratification, allow diagnoses at the pre-symptomatic stage for early intervention and prevention, and improve prediction of treatment response and disease progression.

About Optimistic

Our Grant Agreement and Art. II.30.4 / II.12.2 of our grant agreement lay down the following rules:

• The following standard disclaimer and acknowledgement is to be written on all publications of IMAGEMEND:

„This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no 602450.

This paper reflects only the author’s views and the European Union is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.”

This means for you: Do not forget to include this information in your manuscripts or on your posters or books. It is a contractual duty!

• Any dissemination activity shall be reported in the plan for the use and dissemination of foreground, including sufficient details/references to enable the Commission to trace the activity.

This means for you: Please keep track of your publications as they need to be reported on in the frame of our periodic reports.

• With regard to scientific publications relating to foreground published before or after the final report, such details/references and an abstract of the publication must be provided to the Commission at the latest two months following publication. Furthermore, an electronic copy of the published version or the final manuscript accepted for publication shall also be provided to the Commission at the same time for the purpose set out in Article II.12.2 if this does not infringe any rights of third parties.

This means for you: Please send an abstract of your publication to the project office at concentris the moment when it is accepted for publication. concentris will forward it to the relevant services at the EC for you.

• According to Special Clause 39 of our grant agreement, we are furthermore bound to the following provisions:

In addition to Article II.30.4, beneficiaries shall deposit an electronic copy of the published version or the final manuscript accepted for publication of a scientific publication relating to foreground published before or after the final report in an institutional or subject-based repository at the moment of publication.

Beneficiaries are required to make their best efforts to ensure that this electronic copy becomes freely and electronically available to anyone through this repository:

• immediately if the scientific publication is published "open access", i.e. if an electronic version is also available free of charge via the publisher, or
• within 6 months of publication.

In addition to this, the IMAGEMEND Consortium Agreement contains the following provisions:

• 8.4.1 Publications

Dissemination activities including but not restricted to publications and presentations shall be governed by the procedure of Article II.30.3 of the EC-GA subject to the following provisions.

(1) Prior notice of any planned publication shall be made 45* days before the publication. Any objection to the planned publication shall be made in accordance with the EC-GA in writing to the Coordinator and to any Party concerned within 30* days after receipt of the notice. If no objection is made within the time limit stated above, the publication is permitted.

(2) An objection is justified if

• the objecting Party's legitimate academic or commercial interests are compromised by the publication; or
• the protection of the objecting Party's Foreground or Background is adversely affected.

The objection has to include a precise request for necessary modifications.

(3) If an objection has been raised the involved Parties shall discuss how to overcome the justified grounds for the objection on a timely basis (for example by amendment to the planned publication and/or by protecting information before publication) and the objecting Party shall not unreasonably continue the opposition if appropriate actions are performed following the discussion.

This means for you: Please send any manuscript resulting from IMAGEMEND work to the Consortium before submitting it for publication. The Consortium members may object within 30* days.

• 8.4.2 Publication of another Party’s Foreground or Background

For the avoidance of doubt, a Party shall not publish Foreground or Background of another Party, even if such Foreground or Background is amalgamated with the Party’s Foreground, without the other Party’s prior written approval, which shall not be unreasonably withheld. If the other Party has not raised an objection within 30* (thirty) calendar days after receiving the manuscript, consent to the publication is deemed to be granted.

The following was agreed by the IMAGEMEND Consortium at the Kick-off Meeting in Mannheim:

• *The group felt that the 45 days until green light of a manuscript for submission is too long in practice. The group agreed on 1-2 weeks for comments.