Developing a motor systems domain for the NIMH RDoC program
Open accessAbstract
During the last century, many studies have provided evidence that motor dysfunction is an important feature of neuropsychiatric disorders. Despite this, it is a relatively neglected area in mental illness research today. The extensive review of motor abnormalities in psychiatric illnesses by Peralta and Cuesta1 in this issue provides some clues as to why this may be the case. These include the fact that there are many different tools which are used to detect motor signs, and not all of them assess the same signs (supplementary tables S2 and S3). In addition, particular motor syndromes, such as catatonia, may be under-recognized in mental illnesses other than schizophrenia (eg, mood disorders, autism spectrum disorders). The review carefully examines the evidence for motor abnormalities in schizophrenia, mood disorders, obsessive compulsive disorders, autism spectrum disorders, and Alzheimer’s disease. The authors provide compelling evidence that motor abnormalities are not epiphenomena of mental illnesses; they appear to be intrinsically linked to those disease processes that give rise to the cognitive, emotion regulation, and social deficits which are trademarks of these mental disorders. In addition, motor abnormalities seem to be related to similar phenomena across different disorders. They are closely associated with cognitive impairments, appear to track disease burden, and may predict disease progression. In addition, as Schiffman’s2 commentary indicates, many years of retrospective and prospective empirical research provide compelling evidence that motor abnormalities may be an important predictive neurodevelopmental biomarker for psychosis. Motor abnormalities can help separate out subgroups within the same DSM disorder (cf. the greater severity and worse prognosis of non-schizophrenic/non-affective psychoses when associated with catatonia). None of this should be surprising. Given the parallel, modular organization of frontal-subcortical systems, the physiologic (including neurotransmitter) and computational differences contributing to dysfunction within higher-order circuits may also be present within the motor system. As noted in the commentary by Mittal et al,3 cognitive and motor functions are controlled by both the basal ganglia and cerebellar-subcortical circuits, and these 2 circuits work in concert with each other. In addition, cortical regions implicated in cognitive, social, and affective functions exert top-down modulatory effects on cortical and subcortical regions implicated in motor function. Thus the study of motor behaviors and their change over time, or in response to treatment, may eventually provide sensitive indicators of changes in cognitive and emotional regulation systems. There are clear advantages to examining the motor system in psychiatric disorders as a window into cognitive and emotion regulation processes. Motor processes are overtly observable and highly reproducible between laboratory sessions and across multiple settings. They can be readily probed using a range of techniques, including detailed computational analysis of limb and eye movements, direct response to brain stimulation (TMS, tDCS, and related methods), and neuroimaging. Overall, the review and commentaries make clear that the time is now ripe to study motor processes in mental illness and the authors suggest that, given the ubiquitous nature of motor abnormalities in mental illnesses, an approach based upon the NIMH Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework may be the best way to start. Similarly, an RDoC perspective to studying the link between motor processes and manifestations of cognitive/emotion regulation processes was the subject of an editorial in Brain.4 Such an approach would provide key insights into the relationship between motor and cognitive dysfunctions, and in particular, the associations between dysfunction in a specific motor circuit and behavioral abnormalities. The need for an RDoC approach to the study of motor systems was put forward by experts taking part in the 2011 RDoC Cognitive Processes workshop. The NIMH RDoC workgroup requested further input from these individuals as well as others with expertise in motor systems. Their input made it clear that including an RDoC approach to the study of motor systems would bring critical insights into psychopathology. Recently, a workgroup of the National Advisory Mental Health Council (NAMHC) was formed to oversee changes to the RDoC matrix. The charge to this workgroup is to oversee all changes in the RDoC matrix going forward. Changes can be proposed by scientists in the field, as well as by members of either the NAMHC workgroup or the NIMH RDoC workgroup. Additions, deletions, or edits regarding particular RDoC constructs will be evaluated via email and/or videoconferencing by a group of ad hoc scientists who are nominated by NIMH program staff, the Council workgroup members, and other scientists. Comments from the ad hoc group regarding
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH), in its Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework matrix, has recently proposed the incorporation of a new Sensorimotor Systems domain, composed of subconstructs such as Motor Actions, Agency and Ownership and Habits.
“The National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH), in its Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework matrix [76 -79], has recently proposed the incorporation of a new Sensorimotor Systems domain, composed of sub constructs such as Motor Actions, Agency and Ownership and Habits [80 -82]”
From Habit as a therapeutic component in psychological treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder: A randomised controlled feasibility study. (2026) · cites this paper as [80]
Split into 2 atoms — 0 confirmed, 2 partially supported, 0 disputed, 0 misattributed, 0 unverifiable. Expand the claim to see per-atom verdicts.
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
Peralta, V., & Cuesta, M. J. (2017) · Schizophrenia Bulletin · doi:10.1093/schbul/sbx089 · Cited by 133 · see citing works
What Can Different Motor Circuits Tell Us About Psychosis? An RDoC Perspective
Mittal, V. A., Bernard, J. A., & Northoff, G. (2017) · Schizophrenia Bulletin · doi:10.1093/schbul/sbx087 · Cited by 122 · see citing works
Motor Issues in the Clinical High Risk Phase of Psychosis
Schiffman, J. E. (2017) · Schizophrenia Bulletin · doi:10.1093/schbul/sbx086 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Rowe, J. B. (2015) · Brain · doi:10.1093/brain/awv230 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Rhythm and timing as vulnerabilities in neurodevelopmental disorders
Lense, M. D., Ladányi, E., Rabinowitch, T.-C., Trainor, L. J., & Gordon, R. L. (2021) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2020.0327 · Cited by 119 · see citing works
Harrison, L., Kats, A., Williams, M. E., & Aziz‐Zadeh, L. (2019) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00103 · Cited by 117 · see citing works
The utility of an RDoC motor domain to understand psychomotor symptoms in depression
Walther, S., Bernard, J. A., Mittal, V. A., & Shankman, S. A. (2018) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291718003033 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
Walther, S., van Harten, P. N., Waddington, J. L., Cuesta, M. J., Peralta, V., Dupin, L., Foucher, J., Sambataro, F., Morrens, M., Kubera, K. M., et al. (2020) · European Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1016/j.euroneuro.2020.07.003 · Cited by 74 · see citing works
Motor cortex inhibition and modulation in children with ADHD
Gilbert, D. L., Huddleston, D. A., Wu, S. W., Pedapati, E. V., Horn, P. S., Hirabayashi, K., Crocetti, D., Wassermann, E. M., & Mostofsky, S. H. (2019) · Neurology · doi:10.1212/wnl.0000000000007899 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Poletti, M., Gebhardt, E., Kvande, M. N., Ford, J. M., & Raballo, A. (2018) · Schizophrenia Bulletin · doi:10.1093/schbul/sby100 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Moussa‐Tooks, A. B., Kim, D., Bartolomeo, L. A., Purcell, J. R., Bolbecker, A. R., Newman, S. D., O’Donnell, B. F., & Hetrick, W. P. (2018) · Schizophrenia Bulletin · doi:10.1093/schbul/sby064 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Du, X. M., Choa, F., Chiappelli, J., Wisner, K., Wittenberg, G. F., Adhikari, B. M., Bruce, H. A., Rowland, L. M., Kochunov, P. V., & Hong, L. E. (2018) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2018.06.007 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Hirjak, D., Meyer‐Lindenberg, A., Sambataro, F., Fritze, S., Kukovic, J., Kubera, K. M., & Wolf, R. C. (2021) · Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.pnpbp.2021.110370 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Motor abnormalities and basal ganglia in first-episode psychosis (FEP)
Cuesta, M. J., Lecumberri, P., Moreno-Izco, L., López-Ilundain, J. M., Ribeiro, M., Cabada, T., Lorente-Omeñaca, R., de Erausquin, G. A., García‐Martí, G., Sanjuán, J., et al. (2020) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291720000343 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Neurological Soft Signs Predict Auditory Verbal Hallucinations in Patients With Schizophrenia.
Wolf, R. C., Rashidi, M., Schmitgen, M., Fritze, S., Sambataro, F., Kubera, K., & Hirjak, D. (2020) · Schizophrenia bulletin · doi:10.1093/schbul/sbaa146 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
An Examination of Psychomotor Disturbance in Current and Remitted MDD: An RDoC Study
Shankman, S. A., Mittal, V. A., & Walther, S. (2020) · Journal of Psychiatry and Brain Science · doi:10.20900/jpbs.20200007 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Peralta, V., Moreno-Izco, L., de Jalón, E. G., Sánchez-Torres, A., Janda, L., Peralta, D., Fañanás, L., & Cuesta, M. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.643112 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Walther, S., & Mittal, V. A. (2022) · Schizophrenia Bulletin · doi:10.1093/schbul/sbac003 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Kindler, J., Michel, C., Schultze‐Lutter, F., Felber, G., Hauf, M., SCHIMMELMANN, B. G., Kaess, M., Hubl, D., & Walther, S. (2019) · Schizophrenia Research · doi:10.1016/j.schres.2019.07.032 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Animal models of major depressive disorder and the implications for drug discovery and development
Demin, K. A., Sysoev, M., Chernysh, M. V., Savva, A. K., Koshiba, M., Wappler-Guzzetta, E. A., Song, C., de Abreu, M. S., Leonard, B. E., Parker, M. O., et al. (2019) · Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery · doi:10.1080/17460441.2019.1575360 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
A dimensional approach to functional movement disorders: Heresy or opportunity
Spagnolo, P. A., Garvey, M., & Hallett, M. (2021) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.04.005 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Self-citationRethinking the risk for depression using the RDoC: A psychophysiological perspective
Dell’Acqua, C., Palomba, D., Patron, E., & Benvenuti, S. M. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1108275 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Isolation of Distinct Networks Driving Action and Cognition in Psychomotor Processes
Moussa‐Tooks, A. B., Beermann, A., Felix, K. M., Coleman, M., Sylvain Bouix, A., Holt, D. J., Lewandowski, K. E., Öngür, D., Breier, A. F., Shenton, M. E., et al. (2024) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.02.1013 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Biotypes of major depressive disorder identified by a multiview clustering framework
Chen, X., Dai, Z., & Lin, Y. (2023) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2023.02.118 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
GABA and Negative Affect—Catatonia as Model of RDoC-Based Investigation in Psychiatry
Hirjak, D., Wolf, R. C., & Northoff, G. (2019) · Schizophrenia Bulletin · doi:10.1093/schbul/sbz088 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Label-based meta-analysis of functional brain dysconnectivity across mood and psychotic disorders
Grot, S., Smine, S., Potvin, S., Darcey, M., Pavlov, V., Genon, S., Nguyen, H. D., & Orban, P. (2024) · Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.pnpbp.2024.110950 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
McCoy, T., Pellegrini, A. M., & Perlis, R. (2020) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0237698 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Clinton, S. M., Shupe, E. A., Glover, M. E., Unroe, K. A., McCoy, C. R., Cohen, J. L., & Kerman, I. A. (2021) · European Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1111/ejn.15158 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Dell'Acqua, C., Benvenuti, S. M., Cellini, N., Brush, C. J., Ruggerone, A., & Palomba, D. (2024) · Translational Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/s41398-024-02925-9 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Sehatpour, P., Kreither, J., López‐Calderón, J., Shastry, A. M., Baun, H. M. D., Martı́nez, A., & Javitt, D. C. (2023) · Translational Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/s41398-023-02656-3 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Mapping of Transdiagnostic Neuropsychiatric Phenotypes Across Patients in Two General Hospitals
Hart, K. L., Perlis, R. H., & McCoy, T. H. (2021) · Journal of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.jaclp.2021.01.002 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Impaired Sensorimotor Adaption in Schizophrenia in Comparison to Age-Matched and Elderly Controls
Cornelis, C., Picker, L. D., Coppens, V., Morsel, A., Timmers, M., Dumont, G., Sabbe, B., Morrens, M., & Hulstijn, W. (2021) · Neuropsychobiology · doi:10.1159/000518867 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Cuesta, M. J., & Peralta, V. (2018) · Schizophrenia Research · doi:10.1016/j.schres.2018.05.040 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Schorr, B., Clauss, J. M. E., de Billy, C. D. C., Dassing, R., Zinetti‐Bertschy, A., Dormegny-Jeanjean, L. C., Obrecht, A., Mainberger, O., Schürhoff, F., Foucher, J., et al. (2022) · Schizophrenia Research · doi:10.1016/j.schres.2022.10.009 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Possible Commonalities of Clinical Manifestations Between Dystonia and Catatonia
Ishizuka, K., Tachibana, M., & Inada, T. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.876678 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Haralanov, S., Haralanova, E., Milushev, E., Shkodrova, D., & Claussen, C. F. (2018) · Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice · doi:10.1111/jep.12917 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Wang, Y., Braam, E. E., Wannan, C., Rheenen, T. E. V., Chan, R. C. K., Nelson, B., McGorry, P. D., Yung, A. R., Lin, A. P., Brewer, W. J., et al. (2021) · European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience · doi:10.1007/s00406-021-01300-9 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Kent, J. S., Kim, D., Newman, S. D., Bolbecker, A. R., O’Donnell, B. F., & Hetrick, W. P. (2020) · Psychiatry Research Neuroimaging · doi:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2020.111133 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Assessing Psychomotor Disturbances among Mental Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Song, L.-Y., Lyu, Z., Xie, J.-Y., Zhang, Y., Zhao, D., Chen, A., Huang, T., & Yuan, T. (2025) · Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics · doi:10.1159/000546909 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Walther, S., Wüthrich, F., Pavlidou, A., Nadesalingam, N., Heckers, S., Nuoffer, M. G., Chapellier, V., Stegmayer, K., Maderthaner, L., Kyrou, A., et al. (2025) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.2425388122 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Motor stereotypies in toddlers with and without autism: A transdiagnostic dimension
Chawarska, K., Fernandez, T. V., Milgramm, A., Volkmar, F., Torres‐Viso, M., Powell, K. K., Vernetti, A., Macari, S. L., & Morgan, C. (2025) · Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry · doi:10.1111/jcpp.70023 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Motor domain in psychotic disorders: the rebirth of a concept
Hirjak, D., Kubera, K. M., Sambataro, F., & Wolf, R. C. (2019) · European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience · doi:10.1007/s00406-019-01036-7 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Gesture sonification for enhancing agency: an exploratory study on healthy participants
Schoeller, F., Ashur, P., Larralde, J., le Couedic, C., Mylapalli, R., Krishnanandan, K., Ciaunica, A., Linson, A., Miller, M., Reggente, N., et al. (2025) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1450365 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Gilbert, D. L., Crocetti, D., Horn, P. S., Wu, S. W., Huddleston, D. A., Ehrman, J. M., Migneault, K. Y., & Mostofsky, S. H. (2025) · Annals of the Child Neurology Society · doi:10.1002/cns3.20101 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Developing translational biological psychiatry: Learning from history to build the future
Demin, K. A., Мешалкина, Д. А., Lakstygal, A. M., & Kalueff, A. V. (2017) · Biological Communications · doi:10.21638/11701/spbu03.2017.407 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Movement Disorders and Neuropsychiatric Conditions
Singer, H. S., Mink, J. W., Gilbert, D. L., & Jankovic, J. J. (2022) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-820552-5.00016-4 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Assessment of Childhood Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Williams, L. W., Sandercock, R., & Klinger, L. G. (2019) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108235433.021 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
A novel diagnosis method for schizophrenia based on globus pallidus data
Kapıcı, O. B., Kapıcı, Y., Tekın, A., & Şırık, M. (2023) · Psychiatry Research Neuroimaging · doi:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2023.111732 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Haralanov, S., Haralanova, E., Milushev, E., & Shkodrova, D. (2018) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-95360-1_32 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Adult ADHD in Neurocognitive and Neurological Disorders
Pallanti, S., & Salerno, L. (2020) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-39051-8_18 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Domänenbasierte Klassifikation und Erforschung psychischer Erkrankungen
Hirjak, D., & Meyer‐Lindenberg, A. (2021) · Der Nervenarzt · doi:10.1007/s00115-021-01172-3 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Pereira de Souza, A. M. F. L., Mpavaenda, D., Banca, P., Wellsted, D., Hopkins, J., Marzuki, A. A., Lee, M., Karafylli, E., Bardsley, O., Mazoruk, S., et al. (2026) · Comprehensive Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.comppsych.2026.152666 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“…for Mental Health (NIMH), in its Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework matrix [76 – 79], has recently proposed the incorporation of a new Sensorimotor Systems domain, composed of sub-constructs such as Motor Actions, Agency and Ownership and Habits [80 – 82], all of great relevance to OCD.”
The Classification of Mental Disorders: Dual Diagnosis in Persons with Intellectual Disabilities
McPherson, P., Lockhart, J. R., & Bundrick, J. (2020) · Autism and child psychopathology series · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-46835-4_2
An Investigation of Gait and Language Function in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder
Pearce, S. C. (2019) · Own your potential (DEAKIN)
Digital behavioural tests as diagnostic aid for psychosisPreprint
Słowiński, P., White, A., Lison, S., Sullivan, S. A., Emmens, T., Self, P., Wileman, J., Karl, A., & Tsaneva-Atanasova, K. T. (2023) · medRxiv · doi:10.1101/2023.01.14.23284551
Javitt, D. C., Sehatpour, P., Kreither, J., López‐Calderón, J., Shastry, A. M., DeBaun, H. M., & Martı́nez, A. (2023) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-2711867/v1
The potential of digital behavioural tests as a diagnostic aid for psychosis
Słowiński, P., White, A., Lison, S., Sullivan, S. A., Emmens, T., Self, P., Wileman, J., Karl, A., & Tsaneva-Atanasova, K. T. (2023) · PLOS Digital Health · doi:10.1371/journal.pdig.0000339
Qiu, J., Zhu, T., Qin, K., & Zhang, W. (2025) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-025-06510-2 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Raoul, L., & Grosbras, M. (2025) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0335259
Elmas, S., & Üçok, A. (2026) · Nordic Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1080/08039488.2026.2720107
- Authors
- Garvey, M. A., & Cuthbert, B. N.
- Affiliations
- National Institutes of Health (US)
- National Institute of Mental Health (US)
- Corresponding author
- Garvey, Marjorie A
- Venue
- Schizophrenia Bulletin
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2017-07-24
- Volume
- 43
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 935-936
- ISSN
- 0586-7614 (ISSN-L)
- 1745-1701
- PMC
- PMC5581884
- OpenAlex
- W2737791222
- Cited by
- 58
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 1
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- europepmc.org
- Locations
- Schizophrenia Bulletin (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Schizophrenia research and treatment
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Neurology › Neurological disorders and treatments
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Mental Health and Psychiatry
- Keywords
- motor abnormalities, neuropsychiatric disorders
- MeSH terms
- Mental Disorders, Humans, Movement Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health (U.S.), United States
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
