Bridging the Neurocomputational Explanations of Paranoia: From Cognition to Clinic

Paranoia, a persistent and distressing symptom of psychosis, involves the fear and belief that others intend harm. It significantly impacts patients, causing distress and isolation. Yet, the science often overlooks how the brain encodes social interaction, critical to understanding paranoia. This gap limits the development of effective therapies directly addressing patient concerns. Our goal is to change this. We will decode how the brain maps social interactions using advanced interactive paradigms, mathematical models, and neuroimaging. By administering THC, the psychoactive component in cannabis, to healthy volunteers we will induce temporary, reversable paranoia. This allows us to study the shift into paranoid states and compare the findings with data from individuals receiving clinical support for persecutory delusions. EXE will be involved in all stages of the research from designing, advising to dissemination of the findings. Our research will cover the spectrum from neurotransmitters to neurons and computational markers to clinical settings. We will share our results freely, and integrate our models into the free, browser based Hypatia platform, fostering the international development of new tools and therapies. This work aims to lay a foundation for innovative treatments and support options for those suffering from severe paranoia.