Strategy 1.4 of the NIMH Strategic Plan calls for the development, for research purposes, of new ways of classifying psychopathology based on dimensions of observable behavior and neurobiological measures. The Research Domain Criteria project (RDoC) has been launched by NIMH to implement this strategy. In brief, the effort is to define basic dimensions of functioning (such as fear circuitry or working memory) to be studied across multiple units of analysis, from genes to neural circuits to behaviors, cutting across disorders as traditionally defined. The intent is to translate rapid progress in basic neurobiological and behavioral research to an improved integrative understanding of psychopathology and the development of new and/or optimally matched treatments for mental disorders.
NIMH established an internal working group in the Spring of 2009 to implement a structure and process for achieving this goal. The various domains of functioning, and their constituent elements, are being defined by an ongoing series of consensus workshops; input from the research community and other interested stakeholders is encouraged. A number of articles/editorials have been published describing and commenting on the project (see links below). NIMH anticipates that research grants employing this new experimental classification will represent an increasingly large share of its funding portfolio in coming years.
As this project develops, the RDoC web pages will be used to post all information relevant to RDoC including official notices, dates and locations for meetings, and summaries of products and progress.
The RDoC process is intended to be open and transparent to the community, and comments about the proceedings of the workshops, as well as about the overall RDoC project, are welcome; send comments to rdoc@mail.nih.gov. These pages will serve as the repository for official information relevant to RDoC to keep those interested abreast of the most recent developments.
Additional Information:
- A detailed description of the RDoC project
- RDoC Funding Opportunity Announcements
- RFA-MH-12-100: Dimensional Approaches to Research Classification in Psychiatric Disorders (R01)
- FAQs for RFA-MH-12-100
- RDoC Interim Guidance for Applicants
- RDoC Request for Information
- RDoC Workshop Proceedings
Upcoming Workshops/Conferences:
The anticipated dates of upcoming RDoC Workshops are:
- October 2011 — Cognitive Systems
- February 2012 — Systems for Social Processes
- June 2012 — Arousal/Regulatory Systems
- Three RDoC workshops have been completed (Working Memory, Negative Valence Systems, and Positive Valence Systems). Proceedings from the completed workshops will be posted on this site as soon as possible.
