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

> **NIH NIH R01** · BROWN UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $647,525

## Abstract

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:** 9957201
- **Project number:** 5R01MH110449-05
- **Recipient organization:** BROWN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** STEVEN A RASMUSSEN
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $647,525
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-09-15 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9957201

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9957201, Harm avoidance and incompleteness as dimensional endophenotypes in anxiety and OC spectrum disorders (5R01MH110449-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9957201. Licensed CC0.

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