# Harm avoidance and incompleteness as dimensional endophenotypes in anxiety and OC spectrum disorders

> **NIH NIH R01** · BROWN UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $212,627

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 Obsessive Compulsive (OC) spectrum and anxiety disorders are the most prevalent psychiatric conditions in
the United States. The economic costs of these disorders to society are enormous, accounting for 31% of total
mental health costs. In spite of the development of effective cognitive behavioral and pharmacologic treatments,
a substantial portion of patients remain ill. The limitations of symptom and diagnosis based approaches in
understanding the underlying pathobiology of anxiety and OC spectrum disorders, coupled with the need for
better treatments, strongly suggest the importance of looking beyond symptoms and diagnoses toward latent
dimensional endophenotypes. The overall goal of this study is to link key aspects of OC spectrum and anxiety
psychopathology with a circuit-based model of disease. We propose to test the validity of a novel conceptual
model of two core constructs, harm avoidance (HA) and incompleteness (INC) postulated to be underlying
motivational drives leading to OC and anxiety symptoms, and posited to be differentially associated with specific
neural circuits and cognitive affective tasks. In order to take the initial steps in this process, we conceptualize
these two core constructs (INC and HA) as specific RDoC domains and assess them using cognitive affective
paradigms associated with specific frontostriatal circuitry. We will then test whether there are different patterns
of resting state functional connectivity and diffusion imaging parameters associated with these core constructs.
This study has significant implications for the development of a reconceptualization of the heterogeneity of the
OC spectrum and anxiety disorders. Broadening the scope of target circuits can pave the way for novel advances
in our understanding of mechanisms of etiology, as well as the development of novel psychosocial and biological
interventions.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10413429
- **Project number:** 3R01MH110449-05S1
- **Recipient organization:** BROWN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** STEVEN A RASMUSSEN
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $212,627
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2016-09-15 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10413429

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10413429, Harm avoidance and incompleteness as dimensional endophenotypes in anxiety and OC spectrum disorders (3R01MH110449-05S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10413429. Licensed CC0.

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