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Breuer F, Meyhöfer I, Lencer R, Sprenger A, Roesmann K, Schag K, Dannlowski U, Leehr EJ. Aberrant inhibitory control as a transdiagnostic dimension of mental disorders - A meta-analysis of the antisaccade task in different psychiatric populations. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 165:105840. [PMID: 39103067 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2024] [Revised: 06/29/2024] [Accepted: 08/01/2024] [Indexed: 08/07/2024]
Abstract
This meta-analysis examined inhibitory control performance in the antisaccade task across mental disorders. Following PRISMA guidelines, we analyzed data from k = 146 studies (n = 13,807 participants) on antisaccade performance. Effect sizes were estimated using random-effects models and restricted maximum-likelihood estimation, with robustness tests for study heterogeneity and publication bias. Most disorders displayed elevated error rates, with schizophrenia showing the greatest impairments, followed by autism spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Small to medium impairments were also found in eating disorders, major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and substance use disorder. Results were robust against corrections for publication bias and largely unaffected by confounding variables. Prolonged latencies were observed in schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder, with smaller and less robust effect sizes. Results indicate inhibitory control deficits in the antisaccade task across mental disorders, especially evident for error rates. While present in most disorders, results imply varying degrees of impairments, ranging from small to large in effect sizes, with largest impairments in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Breuer
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Germany
| | - Inga Meyhöfer
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Germany; Otto-Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Germany
| | - Rebekka Lencer
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Germany; Otto-Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Lübeck, Germany
| | - Andreas Sprenger
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Lübeck, Germany; Institute of Psychology II, University of Lübeck, Germany
| | - Kati Roesmann
- Institute for Psychology, Unit for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy in Childhood and Adolescence. University of Osnabrück, Germany; Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignalanalysis, University of Münster, Germany
| | - Kathrin Schag
- Medical University Hospital Tübingen, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Udo Dannlowski
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Germany
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Morris SE, Sanislow CA, Pacheco J, Vaidyanathan U, Gordon JA, Cuthbert BN. Revisiting the seven pillars of RDoC. BMC Med 2022; 20:220. [PMID: 35768815 PMCID: PMC9245309 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-022-02414-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In 2013, a few years after the launch of the National Institute of Mental Health's Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) initiative, Cuthbert and Insel published a paper titled "Toward the future of psychiatric diagnosis: the seven pillars of RDoC." The RDoC project is a translational research effort to encourage new ways of studying psychopathology through a focus on disruptions in normal functions (such as reward learning or attention) that are defined jointly by observable behavior and neurobiological measures. The paper outlined the principles of the RDoC research framework, including emphases on research that acquires data from multiple measurement classes to foster integrative analyses, adopts dimensional approaches, and employs novel methods for ascertaining participants and identifying valid subgroups. DISCUSSION To mark the first decade of the RDoC initiative, we revisit the seven pillars and highlight new research findings and updates to the framework that are related to each. This reappraisal emphasizes the flexible nature of the RDoC framework and its application in diverse areas of research, new findings related to the importance of developmental trajectories within and across neurobehavioral domains, and the value of computational approaches for clarifying complex multivariate relations among behavioral and neurobiological systems. CONCLUSION The seven pillars of RDoC have provided a foundation that has helped to guide a surge of new studies that have examined neurobehavioral domains related to mental disorders, in the service of informing future psychiatric nosology. Building on this footing, future areas of emphasis for the RDoC project will include studying central-peripheral interactions, developing novel approaches to phenotyping for genomic studies, and identifying new targets for clinical trial research to facilitate progress in precision psychiatry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Morris
- National Institute of Mental Health, Neuroscience Center, 6001 Executive Blvd, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
| | | | - Jenni Pacheco
- National Institute of Mental Health, Neuroscience Center, 6001 Executive Blvd, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Uma Vaidyanathan
- National Institute of Mental Health, Neuroscience Center, 6001 Executive Blvd, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.,Present affiliation: Boehringer Ingelheim, Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany
| | - Joshua A Gordon
- National Institute of Mental Health, Neuroscience Center, 6001 Executive Blvd, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Bruce N Cuthbert
- National Institute of Mental Health, Neuroscience Center, 6001 Executive Blvd, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
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Zmigrod L, Robbins TW. Dopamine, Cognitive Flexibility, and IQ: Epistatic Catechol-O-MethylTransferase:DRD2 Gene-Gene Interactions Modulate Mental Rigidity. J Cogn Neurosci 2021; 34:153-179. [PMID: 34818409 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive flexibility has been hypothesized to be neurochemically rooted in dopamine neurotransmission. Nonetheless, underpowered sample sizes and contradictory meta-analytic findings have obscured the role of dopamine genes in cognitive flexibility and neglected potential gene-gene interactions. In this largest neurocognitive-genetic study to date (n = 1400), single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with elevated prefrontal dopamine levels (catechol-O-methyltransferase; rs4680) and diminished striatal dopamine (C957T; rs6277) were both implicated in Wisconsin Card Sorting Test performance. Crucially, however, these genetic effects were only evident in low-IQ participants, suggesting high intelligence compensates for, and eliminates, the effect of dispositional dopamine functioning on flexibility. This interaction between cognitive systems may explain and resolve previous empirical inconsistencies in highly educated participant samples. Moreover, compensatory gene-gene interactions were discovered between catechol-O-methyltransferase and DRD2, such that genotypes conferring either elevated prefrontal dopamine or diminished striatal dopamine-via heightened striatally concentrated D2 dopamine receptor availability-are sufficient for cognitive flexibility, but neither is necessary. The study has therefore revealed a form of epistatic redundancy or substitutability among dopamine systems in shaping adaptable thought and action, thus defining boundary conditions for dopaminergic effects on flexible behavior. These results inform theories of clinical disorders and psychopharmacological interventions and uncover complex fronto-striatal synergies in human flexible cognition.
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Costanzi M, Cianfanelli B, Santirocchi A, Lasaponara S, Spataro P, Rossi-Arnaud C, Cestari V. Forgetting Unwanted Memories: Active Forgetting and Implications for the Development of Psychological Disorders. J Pers Med 2021; 11:jpm11040241. [PMID: 33810436 PMCID: PMC8066077 DOI: 10.3390/jpm11040241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Intrusive memories are a common feature of many psychopathologies, and suppression-induced forgetting of unwanted memories appears as a critical ability to preserve mental health. In recent years, biological and cognitive studies converged in revealing that forgetting is due to active processes. Recent neurobiological studies provide evidence on the active role of main neurotransmitter systems in forgetting, suggesting that the brain actively works to suppress retrieval of unwanted memories. On the cognitive side, there is evidence that voluntary and involuntary processes (here termed "intentional" and "incidental" forgetting, respectively) contribute to active forgetting. In intentional forgetting, an inhibitory control mechanism suppresses awareness of unwanted memories at encoding or retrieval. In incidental forgetting, retrieval practice of some memories involuntarily suppresses the retrieval of other related memories. In this review we describe recent findings on deficits in active forgetting observed in psychopathologies, like post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Moreover, we report studies in which the role of neurotransmitter systems, known to be involved in the pathogenesis of mental disorders, has been investigated in active forgetting paradigms. The possibility that biological and cognitive mechanisms of active forgetting could be considered as hallmarks of the early onset of psychopathologies is also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Costanzi
- Department of Human Sciences, Lumsa University, 00193 Rome, Italy; (B.C.); (S.L.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Beatrice Cianfanelli
- Department of Human Sciences, Lumsa University, 00193 Rome, Italy; (B.C.); (S.L.)
| | - Alessandro Santirocchi
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University, 00185 Rome, Italy; (A.S.); (C.R.-A.); (V.C.)
| | - Stefano Lasaponara
- Department of Human Sciences, Lumsa University, 00193 Rome, Italy; (B.C.); (S.L.)
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University, 00185 Rome, Italy; (A.S.); (C.R.-A.); (V.C.)
| | - Pietro Spataro
- Department of Economy, Universitas Mercatorum, 00100 Rome, Italy;
| | - Clelia Rossi-Arnaud
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University, 00185 Rome, Italy; (A.S.); (C.R.-A.); (V.C.)
| | - Vincenzo Cestari
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University, 00185 Rome, Italy; (A.S.); (C.R.-A.); (V.C.)
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Abstract
Molecular and functional imaging techniques have been used and combined with pharmacological probes to evaluate the role of dopamine in impulsivity. Overall, strong evidence links striatal dopaminergic function with impulsivity, measured by self-reports and laboratory tests of cognitive control and reward-based decision-making. The combination of molecular imaging using positron emission tomography (PET) with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) specifically implicates striatal D2-type dopamine receptors (i.e., D2 and D3) and corticostriatal connectivity in cognitive control. Low levels of striatal and midbrain D2-type receptor availability correlate with self-reported impulsivity, whereas striatal D2-type receptor availability shows positive correlation with motor response inhibition and cognitive flexibility. Impulsive choice on reward-based decision-making tasks also is related to deficits in striatal D2-type dopamine receptor availability, and there is evidence for an inverted U-shaped function in this relationship, reflecting an optimum of striatal dopaminergic activity. Findings from studies of clinical populations that present striatal dopamine D2-type receptor deficits as well as healthy control research participants identify D2-type receptors as therapeutic targets to improve cognitive control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edythe D London
- Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, and the Brain Research Institute, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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Schweiger JI, Bilek E, Schäfer A, Braun U, Moessnang C, Harneit A, Post P, Otto K, Romanczuk-Seiferth N, Erk S, Wackerhagen C, Mattheisen M, Mühleisen TW, Cichon S, Nöthen MM, Frank J, Witt SH, Rietschel M, Heinz A, Walter H, Meyer-Lindenberg A, Tost H. Effects of BDNF Val 66Met genotype and schizophrenia familial risk on a neural functional network for cognitive control in humans. Neuropsychopharmacology 2019; 44:590-597. [PMID: 30375508 PMCID: PMC6333795 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-018-0248-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2018] [Revised: 09/25/2018] [Accepted: 10/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive control represents an essential neuropsychological characteristic that allows for the rapid adaption of a changing environment by constant re-allocation of cognitive resources. This finely tuned mechanism is impaired in psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and contributes to cognitive deficits. Neuroimaging has highlighted the contribution of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and prefrontal regions (PFC) on cognitive control and demonstrated the impact of genetic variation, as well as genetic liability for schizophrenia. In this study, we aimed to examine the influence of the functional single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs6265 of a plasticity-related neurotrophic factor gene, BDNF (Val66Met), on cognitive control. Strong evidence implicates BDNF Val66Met in neural plasticity in humans. Furthermore, several studies suggest that although the variant is not convincingly associated with schizophrenia risk, it seems to be a modifier of the clinical presentation and course of the disease. In order to clarify the underlying mechanisms using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we studied the effects of this SNP on ACC and PFC activation, and the connectivity between these regions in a discovery sample of 85 healthy individuals and sought to replicate this effect in an independent sample of 253 individuals. Additionally, we tested the identified imaging phenotype in relation to schizophrenia familial risk in a sample of 58 unaffected first-degree relatives of schizophrenia patients. We found a significant increase in interregional connectivity between ACC and PFC in the risk-associated BDNF 66Met allele carriers. Furthermore, we replicated this effect in an independent sample and demonstrated its independence of structural confounds, as well as task specificity. A similar coupling increase was detectable in individuals with increased familial risk for schizophrenia. Our results show that a key neural circuit for cognitive control is influenced by a plasticity-related genetic variant, which may render this circuit particular susceptible to genetic and environmental risk factors for schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. I. Schweiger
- 0000 0001 2190 4373grid.7700.0Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - E. Bilek
- 0000 0001 2190 4373grid.7700.0Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - A. Schäfer
- 0000 0001 2190 4373grid.7700.0Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - U. Braun
- 0000 0001 2190 4373grid.7700.0Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - C. Moessnang
- 0000 0001 2190 4373grid.7700.0Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - A. Harneit
- 0000 0001 2190 4373grid.7700.0Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - P. Post
- 0000 0001 2190 4373grid.7700.0Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - K. Otto
- 0000 0001 2190 4373grid.7700.0Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - N. Romanczuk-Seiferth
- 0000 0001 2218 4662grid.6363.0Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - University Medicine Berlin, Campus Mitte, Berlin, Germany
| | - S. Erk
- 0000 0001 2218 4662grid.6363.0Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - University Medicine Berlin, Campus Mitte, Berlin, Germany
| | - C. Wackerhagen
- 0000 0001 2218 4662grid.6363.0Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - University Medicine Berlin, Campus Mitte, Berlin, Germany
| | - M. Mattheisen
- 0000 0001 1956 2722grid.7048.bDepartment of Biomedicine and Centre for Integrative Sequencing, iSEQ Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark ,grid.452548.a0000 0000 9817 5300The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus and Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - T. W. Mühleisen
- 0000 0001 2297 375Xgrid.8385.6Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany ,0000 0004 1937 0642grid.6612.3Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - S. Cichon
- 0000 0001 2297 375Xgrid.8385.6Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany ,grid.410567.1Institute of Medical Genetics and Pathology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - M. M. Nöthen
- 0000 0001 2240 3300grid.10388.32Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, Bonn, 53127 Germany ,0000 0001 2240 3300grid.10388.32Department of Genomics, Life & Brain Center, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, Bonn, 53127 Germany
| | - J. Frank
- 0000 0001 2190 4373grid.7700.0Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - S. H. Witt
- 0000 0001 2190 4373grid.7700.0Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - M. Rietschel
- 0000 0001 2190 4373grid.7700.0Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - A. Heinz
- 0000 0001 2218 4662grid.6363.0Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - University Medicine Berlin, Campus Mitte, Berlin, Germany
| | - H. Walter
- 0000 0001 2218 4662grid.6363.0Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - University Medicine Berlin, Campus Mitte, Berlin, Germany
| | - A. Meyer-Lindenberg
- 0000 0001 2190 4373grid.7700.0Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - H. Tost
- 0000 0001 2190 4373grid.7700.0Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
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Smucny J, Lesh TA, Iosif AM, Niendam TA, Tully LM, Carter CS. Longitudinal stability of cognitive control in early psychosis: Nondegenerative deficits across diagnoses. JOURNAL OF ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY 2018; 127:781-788. [PMID: 29781657 DOI: 10.1037/abn0000356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive impairment, particularly in the domain of cognitive control, is characteristic of schizophrenia (SZ) spectrum and bipolar disorders (BDs). The longitudinal trajectory of these impairments, however, remains unclear. Indeed, some studies have observed degeneration and others stability or even improvement over time in these illnesses. Here we examined the longitudinal stability of the AX-Continuous Performance Task (AX-CPT), a cognitive control task, in 52 patients with recent-onset SZ (<2 years from first study measurement), 20 patients with recent-onset BD Type I with psychotic features, and 70 healthy control subjects. Subjects performed the AX-CPT at 2 time points separated by an average of 365 days (range 270-620). Previously identified deficits in cognitive control were replicated in both patient groups. No effects of time or interactions between time and diagnosis were observed. Intraclass correlation coefficients also suggested AX-CPT performance was stable across time for all diagnostic groups. Although performance was stable on average, a positive association was noted between change in cognitive control and change in disorganization symptom severity across patient groups. In conclusion, the present findings suggest that deficits in cognitive control are present in both disorders and stable over the early course of psychotic illness. No evidence was observed for progression or deterioration of cognitive control or differential recovery in SZ compared to BD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Smucny
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis
| | - Tyler A Lesh
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis
| | - Ana-Maria Iosif
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California, Davis
| | - Tara A Niendam
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis
| | - Laura M Tully
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis
| | - Cameron S Carter
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis
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MacQueen DA, Young JW, Cope ZA. Cognitive Phenotypes for Biomarker Identification in Mental Illness: Forward and Reverse Translation. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2018; 40:111-166. [PMID: 29858983 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2018_50] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Psychiatric illness has been acknowledged for as long as people were able to describe behavioral abnormalities in the general population. In modern times, these descriptions have been codified and continuously updated into manuals by which clinicians can diagnose patients. None of these diagnostic manuals have attempted to tie abnormalities to neural dysfunction however, nor do they necessitate the quantification of cognitive function despite common knowledge of its ties to functional outcome. In fact, in recent years the National Institute of Mental Health released a novel transdiagnostic classification, the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC), which utilizes quantifiable behavioral abnormalities linked to neurophysiological processes. This reclassification highlights the utility of RDoC constructs as potential cognitive biomarkers of disease state. In addition, with RDoC and cognitive biomarkers, the onus of researchers utilizing animal models no longer necessitates the recreation of an entire disease state, but distinct processes. Here, we describe the utilization of constructs from the RDoC initiative to forward animal research on these cognitive and behavioral processes, agnostic of disease. By linking neural processes to these constructs, identifying putative abnormalities in diseased patients, more targeted therapeutics can be developed.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A MacQueen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Jared W Young
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
- Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA.
| | - Zackary A Cope
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
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DiEuliis D, Giordano J. Why Gene Editors Like CRISPR/Cas May Be a Game-Changer for Neuroweapons. Health Secur 2017; 15:296-302. [PMID: 28574731 DOI: 10.1089/hs.2016.0120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
This year marks the Eighth Review Conference (RevCon) of the Biological Toxins and Weapons Convention (BWC). At the same time, ongoing international efforts to further and more deeply investigate the brain's complex neuronal circuitry are creating unprecedented capabilities to both understand and control neurological processes of thought, emotion, and behavior. These advances have tremendous promise for human health, but the potential for their misuse has also been noted, with most discussions centering on research and development of agents that are addressed by existing BWC and Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) proscriptions. In this article, we discuss the dual-use possibilities fostered by employing emergent biotechnologic techniques and tools-specifically, novel gene editors like clustered regular interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-to produce neuroweapons. Based on our analyses, we posit the strong likelihood that development of genetically modified or created neurotropic substances will advance apace with other gene-based therapeutics, and we assert that this represents a novel-and realizable-path to creating potential neuroweapons. In light of this, we propose that it will be important to re-address current categorizations of weaponizable tools and substances, so as to better inform and generate tractable policy to enable improved surveillance and governance of novel neuroweapons.
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