The Myth of Optimality in Clinical Neuroscience

Trends in Cognitive Sciences
Avram J Holmes, Lauren M Patrick

Abstract

Clear evidence supports a dimensional view of psychiatric illness. Within this framework the expression of disorder-relevant phenotypes is often interpreted as a breakdown or departure from normal brain function. Conversely, health is reified, conceptualized as possessing a single ideal state. We challenge this concept here, arguing that there is no universally optimal profile of brain functioning. The evolutionary forces that shape our species select for a staggering diversity of human behaviors. To support our position we highlight pervasive population-level variability within large-scale functional networks and discrete circuits. We propose that, instead of examining behaviors in isolation, psychiatric illnesses can be best understood through the study of domains of functioning and associated multivariate patterns of variation across distributed brain systems.

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Citations

Jun 28, 2018·Child Development·Willem E FrankenhuisJohn M McNamara
Apr 17, 2019·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Justin T BakerAvram J Holmes
May 20, 2020·Frontiers in Neuroscience·L P MoreraL A Medrano
Jun 16, 2019·Molecular Psychiatry·Andre F MarquandChristian F Beckmann
Sep 23, 2020·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Kevin M AndersonAvram J Holmes
Dec 22, 2020·Frontiers in Psychiatry·Pedro F Da CostaWalter H L Pinaya
Nov 7, 2020·Harvard Review of Psychiatry·Estelle Dumas-Mallet, Francois Gonon
Jul 31, 2021·Schizophrenia Research·Aniol Santo-AnglesJens Schwarzbach
Aug 19, 2021·Scientific Reports·Bertalan PolnerJános Kállai
Aug 31, 2021·Schizophrenia Research·Jeffrey M GirardJustin T Baker

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