Balancing brain chemicals for boosting meta-control

Project Information

CHEMCONTROL

Grant agreement ID: 101054532

DOI

10.3030/101054532

EC signature date 19 September 2022

Start date 1 April 2023

End date 31 March 2028

Funded under

• European Research Council (ERC)

Total cost

€ 2 625 000,00

EU contribution

€ 2 625 000,00

Coordinated by

STICHTING RADBOUD UNIVERSITAIR MEDISCH CENTRUM
Netherlands

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - CHEMCONTROL (Balancing brain chemicals for boosting meta-control)

Reporting period: 2023-04-01 to 2025-09-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Cognitive control facilitates flexible adaptive behaviour, requiring goal-directed effort to suppress undesired biases linked to the prefrontal cortex and dopamine (DA). Nevertheless, the mechanisms of broader flexible cognitive control remain unclear. CHEMCONTROL's main objective is to construct, evaluate, and refine a causal neurocomputational model that governs dynamic meta-control of various behavioural control strategies. This project specifically tests the hypothesis that different systems (dopaminergic and serotoninergic projections) are prioritized based on assessments of environmental controllability. The concept of controllability is fundamental to clinically significant issues such as learned helplessness and the illusion of control. Understanding their neurochemical mechanisms is essential for creating effective stress coping strategies tailored to individual contexts and needs.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

In the context of the project, we have developed a novel experimental paradigm that quantifies the effects of manipulating environmental controllability on control behaviour, control perception, physiological stress responses, and associated neural activity in the relevant cortico-subcortical circuits. Currently, multiple behavioural, interventional, and neuroimaging studies are ongoing using this paradigm. Furthermore, we are developing and validating a formal computational model that accounts for the effects of manipulating controllability. Both the empirical results and the computational modelling outcomes are used to test and revise our theoretical framework describing the mechanisms of adaptive behaviour in response to controllable and uncontrollable environmental demands.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Not yet applicable