Project description
Modelling cannabinoids – brain and body impact
Considerable scientific evidence exists that cannabinoids influence our brain and body, and help treat mood disorders, addiction, chronic pain and fatigue, and inflammatory illnesses. However, little is known about how these compounds influence the neural or embodied processes that underlie conscious feelings of emotion, pain, or motivation. The EU-funded CANNABODIES project will develop a novel interoceptive self-inference framework. The project will study the computational mechanisms by which cannabinoids influence each of these domains. Specifically, it will reveal the computational basis of cannabinoid effects on brain and behaviour and pinpoint the exact phenomenological effects of these drugs.
Objective
The world is in the midst of a cannabis craze. After decades of criminalization, cannabinoids such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) are suddenly everywhere – in new medicines, in the media, and even in food and cosmetics. But how do cannabinoids influence our brain and body? Much of what we currently know about these compounds comes from neurobiological studies of the endocannabinoid system in animals. Additionally, clinical research suggests that cannabinoids offer promising new treatments for mood and affective disorders, addiction, chronic pain and fatigue, and inflammatory illnesses. However, little is known about how these compounds influence the neural or embodied processes which underlie conscious feelings of emotion, pain, or motivation. This not only limits our ability to design effective cannabinoid-based treatments, but also to negotiate the rising influence of cannabis in our society. To address this gap, in this project I will develop a novel interoceptive self-inference framework which explains how cannabinoids alter the neural mechanisms underlying our embodied and affective selves. To do so, I will use a combination of computational modelling, neuroimaging, subjective measures, and physiological recordings to map the influence of cannabinoids on brain-body interaction in four key psychological domains: interoception, emotion, motivation, and pain. This will enable me to reveal the computational mechanisms by which cannabinoids influence each of these domains. Further, by pooling data across all projects, I will deliver the largest single neuroimaging study of cannabinoid mechanisms to date.
This project will answer questions such as: what is the computational basis of cannabinoid effects on brain and behavior? Do THC and CBD exert opposing or complementary effects on neural and visceral signals? What are the exact phenomenological effects of these drugs, and do they depend on idiosyncrasies in brain-body dynamics?
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Funding Scheme
ERC-STG - Starting GrantHost institution
8000 Aarhus C
Denmark