Substance use disorder, and other disorders characterized by affective dysregulation, are influenced by a complex array of biological, psychological, and social factors. While much important work has been done studying these factors at the level of the brain, less research has focussed on how brain-body communication that is essential for affective and behavioral regulation is disrupted in active addiction and can contribute to the difficulty individuals with substance use disorder have stopping compulsive alcohol and other drug use.

Dr. Eddie’s lab studies how brain-body integration—particularly with the cardiovascular system—goes awry in substance use disorder. With this knowledge, he is developing novel interventions for substance use disorder that consider this brain-body vulnerability.

Current projects include, 1) A study supported by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) characterizing the autonomic nervous system correlates of stress-reactivity to inform the development of a biosensor driven, stress-detection classifier algorithm that can run on commercially available smartwatches and fitness trackers, 2) A National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) funded randomized controlled trial of second-generation, ambulatory, Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback technology for substance use disorder, and 3) A NIDA funded, longitudinal, observational study of The Phoenix, a mutual-help community that supports addiction recovery through exercise.

As highlighted in this figure taken from Eddie et al., 2019, there is major functional overlap between brain areas implicated in classical neurobiological models of addiction (areas highlighted in green, blue, and red), and central autonomic network structures (in gold) that support affective and behavioral regulation through bidirectional communication between the brain and cardiovascular system. Much of the lab’s work focuses on better understanding how these systems intersect and developing interventions informed by this research.