Mental Health Conferences: Comparative & Primate Studies

描述（由申请人提供）：目前，神经科学具有将基础科学发现迅速和前所未有地转化为有效的心理健康疾病治疗干预措施的前景。这在一定程度上是由于成功地使用了动物模型，如啮齿动物和非人类灵长类动物，来阐明复杂的大脑回路，这些回路是情感和认知行为的基础，这些行为在主要的精神健康障碍中受到最大的影响，包括情绪障碍、精神分裂症、焦虑症和自闭症。然而，我们对精神健康障碍理解的新进展可能会通过协调一致的努力来更好地整合这些研究成果。对于使用非人类灵长类动物的研究尤其如此，因为它们代表的资源有限，而且研究成本高昂。这项拨款提议召集一个跨学科的科学家核心小组，其中包括在他们的研究中使用人类、非人类灵长类动物和啮齿动物的研究人员，涵盖一系列心理健康重点领域，并具有一系列技术方面的专业知识，举行一系列会议，以实现以下具体目标：(1)明确非人类灵长类动物精神疾病根源研究中需要进一步关注的问题，以最大限度地从每项研究中获得信息；(2)明确因缺乏信息或技术困难而阻碍临床相关动物研究发展的研究领域，并重点解决这些问题；(3)为研究精神疾病根源的研究界带来新的技术和视角，重点是脑成像；(4)向更广泛的科学界传播关于精神疾病根源研究中有用的研究策略的新信息。本次系列会议将集中讨论四个心理健康领域：抑郁、焦虑、精神分裂症和自闭症；关注遗传学和脑成像的新技术；并在所有领域整合发展观点。该系列会议将包括每年一次核心小组会议和两次更广泛的会议，为期五年。会议的产品将是在广泛的实验室之间共享信息和专门知识，一个公共领域的交互式网站，允许访问共享的信息和专门知识，以及由会议参与者撰写的关于精神卫生领域转化研究的编辑卷。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): At this time, neuroscience holds the prospect for rapid and unprecedented translation of basic science findings into effective therapeutic interventions for mental health diseases. This is due, in part, to the successful use of animal models, such as rodents and nonhuman primates, to elucidate the complex brain circuitry that underlies the affective and cognitive behaviors that are most impacted in the major mental health disorders, including mood disorders, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, and autism. However, new advances in our understanding of mental health disorders could likely be leveraged by a concerted effort to better integrate these research efforts. This is particularly true for studies using nonhuman primates, in that they represent a limited resource, and the studies are costly. This grant proposes to bring together an interdisciplinary Core Group of scientists selected to include investigators using humans, nonhuman primates and rodents in their research, covering a range of mental health focus areas, and with expertise across a range of technologies to hold a series of conferences to undertake the following specific aims: (1) define issues in nonhuman primate studies of the roots of mental illness that need further attention in order to maximize information gained from each study, (2) define research areas in which the development of clinically relevant animal studies has been hindered by lack of information or technical difficulties, and focus on resolving these issues, (3) bring new technologies and perspective to the research community studying the roots of mental illness, focusing on brain imaging, genetics and neurodevelopment, and (4) disseminate new information about useful research strategies in studies of the roots of mental illness to the broader scientific community. This conference series will focus on four mental health areas: depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and autism; focus on new technologies in genetics and brain imaging; and integrate a developmental perspective in all areas. The conference series will comprise 1 Core Group meeting and 2 broader conferences each year for a period of 5 years. Products of the conference will be shared information and expertise across a wide range of laboratories, an interactive web site in the public domain that allows access to shared information and expertise, and an edited volume on translational research in the field of mental health written by conference participants.