Will the promise of translational neuropsychopharmacology research ever deliver? The lion’s roar; the kitten’s purr

The gap between neuropsychopharmacology research claims (the lion’s roar) and effective treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders (the kitten’s purr) persists. However, a pattern of purrs over time may be as important as a loud roar. This perspective pulls together diverse preclinical and clinical voices of major figures in the neuropsychopharmacology research field to address how inter-disciplinary scientific approaches progress from thinking about the brain and its disorders to testing novel hypotheses to implementing treatments that may improve brain health in individuals with neuropsychiatric disorders. This perspective probes the advantages and disadvantages of basic scientific and clinical research into brain health and neuropsychiatric disorders and how investigators in each discipline may more faithfully translate their discoveries into treatments for brain disorders.