Annual Research Review: The Contributions of the RDoC Research Framework on Understanding the Neurodevelopmental Origins, Progression and Treatment of Mental Illnesses

Overview

Journal J Child Psychol Psychiatry

Specialties Psychiatry
Psychology

Date 2022 Jan 3

PMID 34979592

Citations 25

Authors

Jennifer Pacheco

Marjorie A Garvey

Christopher S Sarampote

Elan D Cohen

Eric R Murphy

Stacia R Friedman-Hill

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) proposed the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) initiative as an alternate way to organize research of mental illnesses, by looking at dimensions of functioning rather than being tied to categorical diagnoses. This paper briefly discusses the motivation for and organization of RDoC, and then explores the NIMH portfolio and recent work to monitor the utility and progress that RDoC has afforded developmental research. To examine how RDoC has influenced the NIMH developmental research portfolio over the last decade, we employed a natural language processing algorithm to identify the number of developmental science grants classified as incorporating an RDoC approach. Additional portfolio analyses examine temporal trends in funded RDoC-relevant grants, publications and citations, and research training opportunities. Reflecting on how RDoC has influenced the focus of grant applications, we highlight examples from research on Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), childhood irritability, and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Lastly, we consider how the dimensional and transdiagnostic approaches emphasized in RDoC have facilitated research on personalized intervention for heterogeneous disorders and preventive/early interventions targeting emergent or subthreshold psychopathology.

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