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Mental health interventions do not yet offer complete, client-defined functional recovery, and novel directions in treatment research are needed to improve the efficacy of available interventions. One promising direction is the integration of social work and cognitive neuroscience methods, which provides new opportunities for clinical intervention research that will guide development of more effective mental health treatments that holistically attend to the biological, social, and environmental contributors to disability and recovery. This article reviews emerging trends in cognitive neuroscience and provides examples of how these advances can be used by social workers and allied professions to improve mental health treatment. We discuss neuroplasticity, which is the dynamic and malleable nature of the brain. We also review the use of risk and resiliency biomarkers and novel treatment targets based on neuroimaging findings to prevent disability, personalize treatment, and make interventions more targeted and effective. The potential of treatment research to contribute to neuroscience discoveries regarding brain change is considered from the experimental-medicine approach adopted by the National Institute of Mental Health. Finally, we provide resources and recommendations to facilitate the integration of cognitive neuroscience into mental health research in social work.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a debilitating clinical disorder associated with adverse impacts on multiple levels. While a high prevalence of childhood trauma has been noted, the ways such trauma impacts the development of BPD symptomatology remain unclear. In this systematic review, the authors examine the literature from 2000 to 2020, focusing on the association between trauma and BPD, and offer a comprehensive synthesis of possible etiological implications related to either one specific or multiple trauma types. In addition, results are analyzed based on commonly tested trauma parameters, including repeated exposure, polytrauma, onset, perpetrators, and gender. The authors also note some limitations in areas of sampling, measurement, causal inference methods, and data analyses. Results of this review point to several parameters of trauma that can be used to inform training for practitioners as well as enhance current interventions.

29Background: Resting state fMRI (rsfMRI) demonstrates that the brain is organized into 30 distributed networks. Numerous studies have examined links between psychiatric 31 symptomatology and network functional connectivity. Traditional rsfMRI analyses 32 assume that the spatial organization of networks is invariant between individuals. This 33 dogma has recently been overturned by the demonstration that networks show 34 significant variation between individuals. We tested the hypothesis that previously 35 observed relationships between schizophrenia negative symptom severity and network 36 connectivity are actually due to individual differences in network spatial organization. 37Methods: 44 participants diagnosed with schizophrenia underwent rsfMRI scans and 38 clinical assessments. A multivariate pattern analysis determined how whole brain 39 functional connectivity correlates with negative symptom severity at the individual voxel 40 level. 41Results: Brain connectivity to a region of the right dorso-lateral pre-frontal cortex 42 correlates with negative symptom severity. This finding results from individual 43 differences in the topographic distribution of two networks: the default mode network 44 (DMN) and the task positive network (TPN). Both networks demonstrate strong (r~0.49) 45 and significant (p<0.001) relationships between topography and symptom severity. For 46 individuals with low symptom severity, this critical region is part of the DMN. In highly 47 symptomatic individuals, this region is part of the TPN. 48Conclusion: Previously overlooked individual variation in brain organization is tightly 49 linked to differences in schizophrenia symptom severity. Recognizing critical links 50 between network topography and pathological symptomology may identify key circuits 51 3 that underlie cognitive and behavioral phenotypes. Individual variation in network 52 topography likely guides different responses to clinical interventions that rely on 53 anatomical targeting (e.g. TMS). 54

Background Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is characterized by pervasive instability in a range of areas including interpersonal relationships, self-image, and affect. Extant studies have consistently identified significant correlations between childhood maltreatment (CM) and BPD. While exploring this CM-BPD link, a number of cross-sectional studies commonly emphasize the role of emotion dysregulation (ED). A better understanding of the associations between BPD and (1) CM and (2) ED are essential in formulating early, effective intervention approaches, and in addressing varied adverse impacts. Methods This cross-sectional study analyzed a subset of baseline data collected for a larger community-based longitudinal study. Given that our current focus on CM and ED, only those participants who completed the baseline CM assessment and ED measure (N = 144) were included for the primary analyses. We conducted stepwise multivariate linear models to examine the differential relationships between BPD features, ED, and multiple CM types. A path analysis with latent factors using the structural equation modeling (SEM) method was performed to test the indirect effect from CM to BPD features via ED. Results Linear regression models revealed that only emotional abuse (relative to other trauma types) was significantly associated with high BPD features. The SEM, by constructing direct and indirect effects simultaneously, showed that (1) ED partially mediated the path from CM to BPD features; and (2) CM played an important role in which the direct effect remained significant even after accounting for the indirect effect through ED. Conclusions Our results highlight a most consistent association between emotional abuse and BPD, indicating its unique role in understanding BPD features in the context of CM. Further, shame-related negative appraisal and ED were found critical when examining the association between CM and BPD, possibly providing promising treatment targets for future practices.