Promising work on outcome prediction and new therapeutics uses a neuroscientific systems approach, linking individual differences in behavior to underlying mechanisms that shape brain function. This approach is used in the Research Domain Criteria project (www.nimh.nih.gov/research-priorities/rdoc/index.shtml). Fundamentally, the purpose of the project is to identify neurocognitive functions, for which the brain mechanisms are understood, that can predict outcome or treatment response. This approach requires research conducted at both a brain-systems level, focused on neural circuits, and a clinical level, focused on individual differences in behavior contributing to mental illness.
