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Free keywords:
RDoc; Translational research; Animal models; Endophenotypes; Basic studies; Normality and psychopathology continuum
Abstract:
The recently proposed Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) system defines
psychopathologies as phenomena of multilevel neurobiological existence
and assigns them to 5 behavioural domains characterizing a brain in
action. We performed an analysis on this contemporary concept of
psychopathologies in respect to a brain phylogeny and biological
substrates of psychiatric diseases. We found that the RDoC system uses
biological determinism to explain the pathogenesis of distinct
psychiatric symptoms and emphasises exploration of endophenotypes but
not of complex diseases. Therefore, as a possible framework for
experimental studies it allows one to evade a major challenge of
translational studies of strict disease-to-model correspondence. The
system conforms with the concept of a normality and pathology continuum,
therefore, supports basic studies. The units of analysis of the RDoC
system appear as a novel matrix for model validation. The general
regulation and arousal, positive valence, negative valence, and social
interactions behavioural domains of the RDoC system show basic
construct, network, and phenomenological homologies between human and
experimental animals. The nature and complexity of the cognitive
behavioural domain of the RDoC system deserve further clarification.
These homologies in the 4 domains justifies the validity, reliably and
translatability of animal models appearing as endophenotypes of the
negative and positive affect, social interaction and general regulation
and arousal systems' dysfunction.