Research Domain Criteria Perspective Research Articles

Understanding Psychological Symptoms of Endometriosis from a Research Domain Criteria Perspective.

Endometriosis is currently the second most common gynecological disease and is associated with severe pain, vegetative impairment, and infertility. In association, there are considerable psychological symptoms that limit the quality of life of those affected. In this narrative review, the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework was utilized to display the different transdiagnostic processes involved in disease progression and maintenance in regard to psychosocial functioning. Using the RDoC framework, it becomes clear that immune/endocrinological dysregulation is interlocked with (pelvic) pain chronification processes and psychological symptoms such as depressive mood, loss of control, higher vigilance toward the onset or worsening of symptoms, social isolation, and catastrophizing. This paper will discuss and identify promising treatment approaches, in addition to medical care, as well as further research implications. Endometriosis can come with substantial psychosomatic and social burden, requiring more research to understand the interdependence of different factors involved in its chronic development pathway. However, it is already clear that standard care should be extended with multifaceted treatments addressing pain, as well as the psychological and social burden, in order to halt the cycle of aggravation of symptoms and to improve quality of life for patients.

Measuring Integrated Novel Dimensions in Neurodevelopmental and Stress-Related Mental Disorders (MIND-SET): Protocol for a Cross-sectional Comorbidity Study From a Research Domain Criteria Perspective.

It is widely acknowledged that comorbidity between psychiatric disorders is common. Shared and diverse underpinnings of psychiatric disorders cannot be systematically understood based on symptom-based categories of mental disorders, which map poorly onto pathophysiological mechanisms. In the Measuring Integrated Novel Dimensions in Neurodevelopmental and Stress-Related Mental Disorders (MIND-SET) study, we make use of current concepts of comorbidity that transcend the current diagnostic categories. We test this approach to psychiatric problems in patients with frequently occurring psychiatric disorders and their comorbidities (excluding psychosis). The main aim of the MIND-SET project is to determine the shared and specific mechanisms of neurodevelopmental and stress-related psychiatric disorders at different observational levels. This is an observational cross-sectional study. Data from different observational levels as defined in the Research Domain Criteria (genetics, physiology, neuropsychology, system-level neuroimaging, behavior, self-report, and experimental neurocognitive paradigms) are collected over four time points. Included are adult (aged ≥18 years), nonpsychotic, psychiatric patients with a clinical diagnosis of a stress-related disorder (mood disorder, anxiety disorder, or substance use disorder) or a neurodevelopmental disorder (autism spectrum disorder or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder). Individuals with no current or past psychiatric diagnosis are included as neurotypical controls. Data collection started in June 2016 with the aim to include a total of 650 patients and 150 neurotypical controls by 2021. The data collection procedure includes online questionnaires and three subsequent sessions with (1) standardized clinical examination, physical examination, and blood sampling; (2) psychological constructs, neuropsychological tests, and biological marker sampling; and (3) neuroimaging measures. We aim to include a total of 650 patients and 150 neurotypical control participants in the time period between 2016 and 2022. In October 2021, we are at 95% of our target. The MIND-SET study enables us to investigate the mechanistic underpinnings of nonpsychotic psychiatric disorders transdiagnostically. We will identify both shared and disorder-specific markers at different observational levels that can be used as targets for future diagnostic and treatment approaches.

Peer Review of “Measuring Integrated Novel Dimensions in Neurodevelopmental and Stress-Related Mental Disorders (MIND-SET): Protocol for a Cross-sectional Comorbidity Study From a Research Domain Criteria Perspective”

Peer Review of “Measuring Integrated Novel Dimensions in Neurodevelopmental and Stress-Related Mental Disorders (MIND-SET): Protocol for a Cross-sectional Comorbidity Study From a Research Domain Criteria Perspective”

Authors' Response to Peer Reviews of “Measuring Integrated Novel Dimensions in Neurodevelopmental and Stress-Related Mental Disorders (MIND-SET): Protocol for a Cross-sectional Comorbidity Study From a Research Domain Criteria Perspective”

Authors' Response to Peer Reviews of “Measuring Integrated Novel Dimensions in Neurodevelopmental and Stress-Related Mental Disorders (MIND-SET): Protocol for a Cross-sectional Comorbidity Study From a Research Domain Criteria Perspective”

Peer Review of “Measuring Integrated Novel Dimensions in Neurodevelopmental and Stress-Related Mental Disorders (MIND-SET): Protocol for a Cross-sectional Comorbidity Study From a Research Domain Criteria Perspective”

Peer Review of “Measuring Integrated Novel Dimensions in Neurodevelopmental and Stress-Related Mental Disorders (MIND-SET): Protocol for a Cross-sectional Comorbidity Study From a Research Domain Criteria Perspective”

Social Cognition in a Research Domain Criteria Perspective: A Bridge Between Schizophrenia and Autism Spectra Disorders.

Schizophrenia and autism spectra disorders are currently conceptualized as distinct clinical categories. However, the relationship between these two nosological entities has been revisited in recent years due to the evidence that they share some important clinical and neurobiological features, putting into question the nature and the extent of their commonalities and differences. In this respect, some core symptoms that are present in both disorders, such as social cognitive deficits, could be a primary target of investigation. This review briefly summarizes the commonalities and overlapping features between schizophrenia and autism spectra disorders in social cognitive functions, considering this construct in a Research Domain Criteria perspective. The clinical manifestation of deficits in social cognition are similar in schizophrenia spectrum disorders and autism spectrum disorders, and brain areas that appear to be altered in relation to these impairments are largely shared; however, the results of various studies suggest that, in some cases, the qualitative nature of these alterations may be different in the two spectra. Moreover, relevant differences could be present at the level of brain networks and connections. More research is required in this field, regarding molecular and genetic aspects of both spectra, to better define the neurobiological mechanisms involved in social cognition deficits, with the objective of developing specific and targeted treatments.

The PRISM project: Social withdrawal from an RDoC perspective

The PRISM (Psychiatric Ratings using Intermediate Stratified Markers) project was funded under the auspices of the European Union Innovative Medicine Initiative (EU-IMI) to explore quantitative approaches to the biological and behavioral aspects of neuropsychiatric disorders. PRISM focuses specifically on social withdrawal, although its principles are applicable to a wide range of disorders. This commentary explores some of the major aspects of the PRISM design from the perspective of the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) project initiated by the National Institute of Mental Health. PRISM represents an apt exemplar of the principles developed in the RDoC framework, with the potential to contribute palpable advances in precision diagnosis and innovative approaches to treatment development.

Asymmetrical frontal cortical activity associated with differential risk for mood and anxiety disorder symptoms: An RDoC perspective

The recently launched NIMH Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) initiative aims to examine the relationship between core biobehavioral dimensions and symptom profiles that either cut across traditional disorder categories or that are unique to specific clinical phenomenon. A biobehavioral construct that has received considerable attention and that is directly relevant to the Positive Valence Systems domain of the RDoC initiative is approach motivation. One way approach motivation is frequently operationalized is left versus right frontal electroencephalographic (EEG) activity, with greater relative left frontal EEG activity reflecting increased approach motivation and decreased relative left frontal EEG activity reflecting decreased approach motivation or increased withdrawal tendencies. The objective of the present review paper is to examine the relationship between relative left frontal EEG activity and mood and anxiety related symptoms from an RDoC perspective. We first provide an overview of the approach–withdrawal motivational model of frontal EEG asymmetry. Second, we review evidence that relative left frontal EEG activity is associated with a differential risk for unipolar depression versus bipolar disorder. Third, and in line with the mission statement of the RDoC, we move beyond considering mood and anxiety disorders as unitary constructs or homogenous disorders and instead propose that individual differences in relative left frontal EEG activity may be uniquely associated with specific symptom clusters of depression (i.e., anhedonia), hypomania/mania (i.e., symptoms characterized by excessive approach motivation), and anxiety (i.e., anxious apprehension versus anxious arousal). Identifying the relationship between relative left frontal EEG activity and specific mood and anxiety-related symptom clusters has important implications for clinical science, assessment, and treatment.

Response to Lilienfield

The article by Lillienfeld in this issue comprises a thoughtful critique of the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) project initiated by the National Institute of Mental Health, and includes four specific theoretical and methodological challenges along with recommendations to address each one. In this commentary, I briefly consider each of the four challenges in turn, noting points of agreement and also clarifying selected points from the NIMH RDoC perspective. Overall, Lillienfeld's paper represents a valuable contribution to the RDoC literature as research conducted with the new framework continues to accelerate.

Child Abuse and Psychiatric Illness

Child Abuse and Psychiatric Illness

Comorbid association of autism and schizophrenia

In the last several decades, considerable evidence has suggested that autism and schizophrenia are unrelated. However, recent reports have suggested that individuals with autism may be at greater risk for schizophrenia and that the conditions may be more closely related than generally believed. The authors examined detailed case records of 163 adolescents and adults with well-documented histories of autism. These cases included 139 males and 24 females. Only one individual had an unequivocal history of schizophrenia. If the present study group is taken to be representative, it appears that the frequency of schizophrenia among autistic patients (0.6%) is roughly comparable to the frequency of schizophrenia in the general population. It does not appear that the two conditions are more commonly observed together than would be expected on a chance basis; therefore, the current (DSM-III-R) approach to dual diagnosis of these conditions appears reasonable.