Pupillary and neuropsychiatric dysregulation on different time scales

This project studies autonomous dysregulation through the dilatory sympathetic (fight-or-flight) and constrictive parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) effects on the pupillary response. If either system is perturbated, the pupil size will fluctuate to reach homeostatic balance.

The purpose of this project is to use such fluctuations to understand neuropsychiatric conditions such as ADHD and anxiety from a dynamic control system theory perspective, and expose transdiagnostic mechanisms suitable for advancements in neuropsychiatric intervention research in general.

The specific aims are:to extract measures of pupillary homeostatic stability on short time scales (seconds)to relate these measures to neuropsychiatric dysregulatory symptoms on longer time scales (hours, days, using questionnaire data, and ADHD and anxiety diagnosis)to investigate the effect of ADHD and anxiety medication on autonomous dysregulationThe project extends our previous successful efforts regarding pupillary dysregulation, and we will use established lab infrastructures to fulfill our aims.

The experimental design is augmented to include both sympathetic and parasympathetic pupillary networks, and the analytic approach is tailored to inform at the individual level rather than group level.

This gives potential for objective diagnostic support (also when assessing children and individuals with internalizing problems), to provide value for all who benefit from early detection and intervention.