NAMHC Neurodevelopment Workgroup Charge

| Roster |

This Council workgroup is asked to advise the National Advisory Mental Health Council on addressing the gap in knowledge between behavioral development and brain development. It seems that three important disciplines might benefit from integration: developmental neuroscience, behavioral science, and psychopathology. The workgroup is charged with answering the following questions:

• How can NIMH best integrate developmental processes in neuroscience, behavioral science, and psychopathology research to forge a deeper understanding of the pathways leading to mental illnesses? What are the most significant opportunities to explore? What barriers must be overcome?
• How should NIMH stimulate the discovery of the molecular, genetic, experiential, and environmental underpinnings of mental illnesses in development? What are the areas of greatest opportunity?
• How can NIMH foster translational science leading to the ultimate goals of improving indicators of risk (e.g., biomarkers), specifying the causal mechanisms responsible for risk and protection, and developing effective pre-emptive interventions?
• What types of infrastructure support are required to efficiently speed scientific discovery? Research resources? Training to provide a diverse workforce of translational researchers? Are there NIH/NIMH grant and contracting processes that need consideration to facilitate the research or research training efforts?