Psychophysiology of threat response, paradigm shifts in psychiatry, and RDoC: Implications for genetic investigation of psychopathology.

Two articles in this issue seek to further the goal of NIMH's Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) initiative to develop new approaches for investigating mental disorders, using fundamental dimensions that cut across traditional disorder categories and align more closely with mechanisms that underlie psychopathology. One article, by Lang, McTeague, and Bradley, describes the construction of such a disorder cross-crossing dimension of fear response. The other, by Kozak and Cuthbert, expounds upon the basis and conceptualization of research targets under RDoC. Possible implications of these developments for psychiatric genetics research are discussed.