Basic validation studies of endocannabinoids levels in hair for use in psychological and biomedical research

• Applicant: Dr. Wei Gao, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Biological Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience
• Term: from 2019 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 422794550

Endocannabinoids (ECs) appear to play important roles in stress-related processes and in the development of anxiety and affective disorders, respectively. While blood levels reflect EC bioavailability for a rather limited time period from hours to a few days, the concentration of ECs in hair may provide an integral biomarker covering several months. Despite promising pilot study results suggesting the usefulness of hair ECs assessments, fundamental information is still needed regarding the validity and reliability of this approach to characterize the body´s EC system. Therefore, a series of four studies are planned that will address a range of variables of potential influence on the levels of ECs quantified in hair extracts. The present proposal thus aims to evaluate the use of hair ECs measurements in biomedical and psychological research with a special focus on the validity and reliability of the method.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants