Network Neuroscience and Translational Medicine for Understanding Mental Health: The example of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Year: 2023
Type: preprint
Abstract: Translational network neuroscience and network models have the potential to change fundamentally our understanding of the nature of mental illness. Network neuroscience suggests that mental pathology-linked systems such as emotion regulation derive from the synchronized activation of multiple, sometimes regionally disparate areas of the brain. While the methods to actualize this understanding are emerging, case (e.g., those who meet criteria for a disorder) control (e.g., “healthy” participants) methods continue to dominate the literature. Here I illustrate, why the field of translational neuroscience has to abandon case control methods to actualize this potential, and provide a perspective on the path forward using recent research and models of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The heterogeneity of mental illness - just in the presentation of meeting diagnostic criteria within specific disorders - combined with the complexity of human brain systems suggests that a mental disorder cannot be directly mapped to any one individual region or even multiple regions. Fine grained (symptom level), well-developed (psychometrically sound), continuous measures of symptom expression and intensity will be critical to actualize the potential of network neuroscience for mental disorders like PTSD.
Source: Qeios
DOI: 10.32388/cr1jid
Author: Carl F. Weems
Institution: Iowa State University
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4382009184