Dramatic gains in knowledge have been made in the fields of neuroscience, h
uman development, and developmental psychopathology during the past quarter
of a century. Despite the advances that have been achieved in each discipl
ine separately, considerably less progress has occurred in understanding th
e relation between neurobiological and behavioral development in normal and
atypical populations. Research has increasingly demonstrated that abnormal
ities that occur early in development may result in the emergence of aberra
nt neural circuitry that eventuates in relatively enduring forms of psychop
athology. Knowledge of normal neurobiological development provides a powerf
ul foundation for understanding the contributions that neurodevelopmental p
rocesses make to the etiology and sequelae of psychopathology across the li
fe course. An integrated perspective wherein an appreciation of the complex
neural, psychological, and social-contextual processes that cohere to brin
g about normal and pathological outcomes is necessary in order to advance u
nderstanding of the genesis and epigenesis of mental disorders. Such an app
roach will require a reduction of the schisms that so often separate neurob
iological and behavioral research.