This volume represents a burgeoning perspective on the origins of psychopathology, one that focuses on the development of the human central nervous system (CNS). The contemporary neurodevelopmental perspective assumes that mental disorders result from etiologic factors that alter the normal course of brain development. Defined here in its broadest sense, neurodevelopment is a process that begins at conception and extends throughout the lifespan. We now know that it is a complex process and that its course can be altered by a host of factors, ranging from inherited genetic liabilities to psychosocial stressors. This knowledge has challenged clinical researchers to devise novel methodologies aimed at identifying links in this chain of events that can lead to psychopathology.

Neurodevelopmental perspectives on psychopathology have become increasingly dominant as a consequence of major advances in both basic animal research and clinical investigations of human populations. Basic research efforts have succeeded in elucidating amazing facets of brain development that extend from the molecular to the behavioral levels of analysis. For example, using animal models, basic scientists have documented the long-term effects of prenatal and postnatal events on brain structure and function and have shown how these effects vary as a function of hereditary factors. They also have demonstrated that there are significant behavioral sequela of aberrant neurodevelopment. At the same time, clinical research has yielded extensive evidence that prenatal and early childhood factors are associated with subsequent risk for psychopathology.