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Transforming the understanding
and treatment of mental illnesses.

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Brain Circuitry and Dynamics Program

Overview

This program supports research directed toward developing a mechanistic understanding of the brain bases of mental disorders in adults (ages 18+) at the circuit level, drawing heavily on the use of a wide variety of state-of-the-art neuroimaging and other physiological methods, including, but not limited to, those measuring brain dynamics. Applications will generally employ various neuroimaging and/or electrophysiological measures, often in conjunction with cognitive/behavioral neuroscience methodologies, to elucidate how the relevant neural systems contribute to the etiology, pathogenesis, and phenotypic expression of adult mental disorders and relate to outcomes and treatment response.

Areas of Emphasis

  • Identification of circuit-level mechanisms underlying adult mental disorders
  • Identification of intermediate phenotypes of adult mental disorders, including neural and neurocognitive phenotypes useful for subtyping disorders, elucidating shared and unique neural signatures across disorders, and exploring novel treatment targets
  • Elucidation of circuit-level mechanisms underlying RDoC dimensions and domains affected within and across disorders
  • Elucidation of the neural trajectories of adult mental disorders (e.g., from pre-symptomatic to prodrome to acute disease states [episodes and remissions], progression to chronic disease, remission or recovery, and relapse)
  • Identification and refinement of biomarkers of susceptibility/risk, illness, treatment response, and progression/monitoring for human applications
  • Development and application of novel imaging approaches and computational methods for elucidating the neural bases of symptoms, cognitive, and behavioral features of adult mental disorders

Contact

Andrea Wijtenburg, Ph.D.
Program Chief
6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 7121
301-480-8177, andrea.wijtenburg@nih.gov