Commentary: Insights from across diagnostic boundaries: ADHD in the RDoC era--a commentary on Scerif and Baker (2015).

Abstract

Unbiased genomewide association studies of tens of thousands of individuals are transforming our understanding of the origins and structure of psychopathology across the lifespan. Together with findings from epidemiology and cognitive neuroscience, these recent molecular genetic studies underscore the importance of studying phenotypes across as well as within conventional psychiatric diagnoses in order to construct a more pathophysiologically grounded taxonomy from the bottom up. Such efforts, promoted by NIMH's Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework, are critical to developing more accurate models of the risk mechanisms that are shared and distinct across various psychopathologic outcomes. In turn, these models could reveal new treatment targets and early intervention opportunities. In their article in the 2015 JCPP Annual Research Review, Scerif and Baker remind us that bottom‐up insights into psychiatric illness might also be gained by examining specific genetic disorders that often fall within the purview of pediatrics and neurology. These authors note high rates of symptoms of attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in syndromes with known and often monogenic genetic causes (e.g. Fragile X) and suggest that studying the ADHD‐like phenomena in these conditions may provide insight into ADHD itself. This commentary highlights themes from Scerif and Baker's review that overlap with the core tenets of RDoC and notes their significance for advancing our understanding of ADHD in the coming years. It concludes by suggesting ways in which further attention to the RDoC framework could also enhance Scerif and Baker's agenda.