Description du projet
Modélisation des cannabinoïdes – impact sur le cerveau et sur le corps
Il existe une abondance de preuves scientifiques sur l’influence des cannabinoïdes sur le cerveau et le corps, et sur leur bienfaits dans le cadre du traitement de troubles de l’humeur, de l’addiction, de la douleur et de la fatigue chroniques, ainsi que des maladies inflammatoires. Toutefois, nous en savons peu sur la manière dont ces composés influencent les processus neuronaux ou incarnés qui sous-tendent les sensations conscientes des émotions, de la douleur ou de la motivation. Le projet CANNABODIES financé par l’UE compte mettre au point un nouveau cadre d’auto-inférence intéroceptive. Le projet étudiera les mécanismes computationnels par le biais desquels les cannabinoïdes influencent chacun de ces domaines. Il compte révéler plus spécifiquement la base computationnelle des effets des cannabinoïdes sur le cerveau et le comportement, et localiser précisément les effets phénoménologiques exacts de ces substances.
Objectif
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?
Champ scientifique
Mots‑clés
Programme(s)
Thème(s)
Régime de financement
ERC-STG - Starting GrantInstitution d’accueil
8000 Aarhus C
Danemark