current Projects

PTSD

In a series of studies (Mayo et al., 2018, 2020), we have shown that elevated levels of the endocannabinoid ligand anandamide can facilitate fear extinction and protect against the negative consequences of stress in healthy adults. In a collaborative effort with Dr. Markus Heilig, we will now determine whether elevating anandamide levels can modulate neural and psychophysiological biomakers and enhance treatment efficacy in patients with a PTSD diagnosis.

This project is funded by a 4-year Starting Grant from the Swedish Research Council.

CHildhood Trauma

In a Swedish registery study, we have found that childhood trauma (as documented via contact with a specialized Childhood Trauma Unit of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at Linköping University Hospital) is associated with an increased risk for developing a substance use disorder. Now, in an experimental laboratory study, we are determining the individual and additive effects of histories of childhood trauma and substance use disorders on behavioral, psychophysiological, and neural indices of stress reactivity and emotion regulation.

This project is funded in part by a NARSAD Young Investigator Grant from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation.

Additional collaborative projects:

• Effects of MDMA on psychophysiological and neural contributions to socially-relevant, affective touch

  Drs. India Morrison (CSAN, LiU), Harriet de Wit (University of Chicago), Anya Bershad (UCLA)

• Social and emotional processing in adolescents with nonsuicidal self-injury behavior

  Drs. Irene Perini, Maria Zetterqvist, (CSAN, LiU)