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史无前例地转化为有效的心理健康疾病治疗干预措施的前景。这在一定程度上是因为成功地使用了动物模型，如啮齿动物和非人类灵长类动物，以阐明复杂的大脑电路，这些复杂的大脑电路构成了情感和认知行为的基础，这些行为在包括情绪障碍、精神分裂症、焦虑障碍和自闭症在内的主要精神健康障碍中受到最大的影响。然而，我们对精神健康障碍理解方面的新进展可能会被协调一致的努力所利用，以更好地整合这些研究努力。对于使用非人类灵长类动物的研究来说尤其如此，因为它们代表着有限的资源，而且研究费用高昂。这笔赠款建议召集一个跨学科的科学家核心小组，在他们的研究中包括使用人类、非人类灵长类动物和啮齿动物的研究人员，涵盖一系列精神健康重点领域，并拥有一系列技术专业知识，以举行一系列会议，以实现以下具体目标：(1)确定在非人类灵长类动物研究中需要进一步关注的问题，以便最大限度地获得从每项研究中获得的信息；(2)确定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，并专注于解决这些问题，(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、遗传学和神经发育，以及(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。这一系列会议将聚焦于四个精神健康领域：抑郁症、焦虑症、精神分裂症和自闭症；关注遗传学和脑成像方面的新技术；并整合所有领域的发展视角。该系列会议将包括每年举行1次核心小组会议和2次范围更广的会议，为期5年。会议的产品将是广泛的实验室之间的信息和专业知识共享，一个允许获取共享信息和专业知识的公共领域的互动网站，以及由与会者撰写的关于心理健康领域翻译研究的编辑卷。

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.