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- BSc (Honours), Biology and Psychology, University of Waterloo
- MSc, Biology, University of Waterloo
- BEd, Science Education, Wilfrid Laurier University
- PhD, Psychology and Toxicology, University of Guelph
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), University of Toronto
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Schulich School of Medicine, University of Western
I have a PhD in Psychology (Behavioural Neuroscience) and Toxicology from the University of Guelph on the role of the endocannabinoid system in the neurobiology of learning and memory in an animal model of drug dependence. My research and academic scholarships include awards from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). I have specialized training in neuroimaging from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) in New York, the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Florida, and Frontiers in Neurophotonics at the Université Laval in Quebec. I have research published in cellular, molecular, and comparative biology, psychopharmacology, cognitive psychology, social/personality psychology, and political psychology. As a postdoctoral fellow in the Social Aetiology of Mental Illness Training Program at CAMH, I conducted research on the social factors that contribute to mental illness and addiction, and on the associative stigma of mental illness.
Cell to Society: My research experience spans the natural and social sciences, including learning and behaviour, cellular and molecular biology, comparative neuroanatomy and physiology, and several areas of psychology including clinical, social, cognitive, and political psychology.
Accordingly, I have focused on developing two related areas of research:
- The effects of drugs of abuse (opiates, cannabis, Salvia) and various stressors on neurophysiology and behaviour in animal models of drug addiction and mental illness (anxiety, depression, schizophrenia); and
- How various psychological constructs can be used to understand the social determinants of mental health and illness, associative stigma, public persuasion, social policy, and development of a transdomain (physical, mental, social) model of health.
Research Team:
- New Frontiers in Research Fund (Co-Applicant) 2023-2025 ($500,000) for Post-Pandemic Recovery
Contract Faculty Awards for Research and Student Research Supervision:
- Laurier Research Support Grant ($8,000)
- Laurier Research Support Fund ($5,000)
- Faculty of Science Students Association (FOSSA) Awards of $1000 each to 32 students conducting research under my supervision ($32,000) and additional lab resource funding ($3,000)
- St Jerome's University Academic Fund ($3,000)
Post-Doctoral Awards:
- Centre for Addiction Mental Health, Social Aetiology of Mental Illness Training Program Competition, CIHR Funded ($40,000)
- Frontiers in Neurophotonics, Université Laval, Quebec, Research Training Competition ($1,000)
Graduate Awards:
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York, Research Training Competition ($600)
- NSERC Alexander Graham Bell CGS Award ($70,000)
- NSERC Michael Smith Foreign Study Award ($5,800)
- NSERC PGSM Award ($17,000)
- OGS Awards ($25,000)
- Guelph Graduate Incentive Awards ($14,400)
- Waterloo Graduate Incentive Awards ($12,000)
Undergraduate Awards:
- Craig R. Williams Scholarship ($2,000)
Students who are interested in my areas of research (see above) are welcome to contact me to discuss potential research projects, which may include but are not limited to the following:
- Scoping reviews to address critical gaps in two main knowledge bases;
- Risks and benefits of vapourized marijuana, from both preclinical and clinical perspectives.
- Accessibility of medical marijuana in Canada, including creation/evaluation of standardized assessment tools for prescribing marijuana.
- Survey studies on professional and public perceptions of the use of marijuana for treatment of physical and mental illness.
- Experimental studies on the effects of associative stigma of mental illness and addiction on patients, their families, and health care providers.
- Experimental studies on the effects of semantic and somatosensory priming on attitudes, judgments and decision-making.
- Experimental studies on the effects of excessive mobile technology use.
- Narrative reviews of legal, social, and economic conditions affecting the mental health of citizens and participation in democratic governance.
- Development of a transdomain model of health, and how this relates to overall health research, policy and practice.
Peer Reviewed Publications
- Manwell, L.A., Tadros, M., Ciccarelli, T., Eikelboom, R. (2022). Digital dementia in the internet generation: Excessive screen time during brain development will increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias in adulthood. Journal of Integrative Neuroscience (In Press).
- Ciccarelli, T., Soberman, M., Leshuk, T., Cole, H., Afreen, F., Manwell, L.A. (2020). Is cleanliness next to abstinence? The effect of cleanliness priming on attitudes towards harm reduction strategies for people with substance use disorders. International Journal of Psychology (in press).
- Miladinovic, T., Manwell, L.A., Raaphorst, E., Malecki, S., Rana, S., Mallet, PE. (2020). Effects of chronic nicotine exposure on Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol-induced locomotor activity and neural activation in male and female adolescent and adult rats. Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior, 194: 172931. doi.org/10.1016/j.pbb.2020.172931.
- Siklos-Whillans J, Bacchus A, Manwell LA (2020). A scoping review if the use of cannabis and its extracts as potential harm reduction strategies: Insights from preclinical and clinical research. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, doi:10.1007/s11469-020-00244-w.
- Neophytou E, Manwell LA, Eikelboom R (2019). Effects of excessive screen time on neurodevelopment, learning, memory, mental health, and neurodegeneration. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, doi:10.1007/s11469-019-00182-2.
- Manwell LA, Maladinovic T, Raaphorst E, Rana S, Malecki S, Mallet PE (2019). Chronic nicotine exposure attenuates the effects of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol on anxiety-related behavior and social interaction in adult male and female rats. Brain and Behavior, e01375. doi:10.1002/brb3.1375.
- Mrazovac A, O'Boyle J, Watts C, Sharma T, Ciccarelli M, Leshuk T, Lachhman R, Michael S, Manwell LA (2019). Public knowledge of and support for supervised injection sites in a metropolitan Canadian region. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. doi:10.1007/s11469-019-00130-0
- Manwell LA, Barbic S, Roberts K, Durisko Z, Lee C, Ware E, McKenzie K (2015). What is mental health? Evidence towards a new definition from a mixed methods multidisciplinary international survey. British Medical Journal Open, 5:e007079. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2014-007079
- Manwell LA, Mallet PE (2015). Comparative effects of pulmonary and parenteral ?9-tetrahydrocannabinol exposure on extinction of opiate-induced conditioned aversion in rats. Psychopharmacology, 232: 1655-1665.
- Manwell LA, Charchoglyan A, Brewer D, Matthews BA, Heipel H, Mallet PE (2014). A vapourized ?9-tetrahydrocannabinol (?9-THC) delivery system part I: Development and validation of a pulmonary cannabinoid route of exposure for experimental pharmacology studies in rodents. Journal of Pharmacological and Toxicological Methods, 70: 120-127.
- Manwell LA, Ford B, Matthews BA, Heipel H, Mallet PE (2014). A vapourized delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-9-THC) delivery system part II: Comparison of behavioural effects of pulmonary versus parenteral cannabinoid exposure in rodents. Journal of Pharmacological and Toxicological Methods, 70: 112-119.
- Maden, M, Manwell, LA, Ormerod, BK (2013). Proliferation zones in the axolotl brain and regeneration of the telencephalon. Neural Development, 8: 1-23.
- Manwell LA (2010). In denial of democracy: Social psychological implications for public discourse on state crimes against democracy post-9/11. American Behavioral Scientist, 53: 783-794.
- Manwell LA, Satvat E, Lang S, Allen C, Leri F, Parker L (2009). FAAH inhibitor, URB597, promotes extinction and CB1 antagonist, SR141716, inhibits extinction of conditioned aversion produced by naloxone-precipitated morphine withdrawal, but not extinction of conditioned preference produced by morphine in rats. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, 94: 154-162.
- Wood JC, Heimpel SA, Manwell LA, Whittington EJ (2009). This mood is familiar and I don’t deserve to feel better anyway: Mechanisms underlying self-esteem differences in motivation to repair sad moods. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 96 363-380.
- Manwell LA, Heikkila JJ (2007). Examination of KNK437- and quercetin-mediated inhibition of heat shock induced protein gene expression in Xenopus. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part A: Molecular and Integrative Physiology, 148: 521-530.
- Manwell LA, Roberts M, Besner D (2004). Single letter coloring and spatial cuing eliminates a semantic contribution to the Stroop effect. Psychonomic Page 9 Bulletin and Review, 11: 458-462.
Published Books
- Manwell LA (Ed.) (2013). Crossing Hemispheres: Cultivating Connections Between the Sciences and Humanities for Human Welfare. USA: CreateSpace Independent Publishing.
Wilfrid Laurier University
- PS361: Research in Learning (F24)
- PS490F: Directed Studies in Psychology: Screentime, Substance Use, and Dementia (W20)
- PS463: Seminar in Behavioural Neuroscience: Brain Maps of Meaning - Navigating the Neuroplasticity of Addictive Behaviour (W17, W19, W20)
- PS461: Seminar in Learning: The Agent in the Machine - Self-Emergence in the Nervous System (W18, W19, W20)
- PS363: Research in Behavioural Neuroscience (W12, W15, F18, F19)
- PS365: Introduction to Neuropsychology (F19)
- PS490C: Directed Studies in Psychology: Overstimulation and Substance Use (S19)
- HN320: Human Physiology II: Control and Integration (W16, W17, W18)
- Winter 2018 includes a NEW Neuroanatomy Lab!
- PS490A: Directed Studies in Psychology: Priming Moral Decisions in Health (F17-W18)
- PS490B: Directed Studies in Psychology: Priming Diagnostic Decisions in Health (F17-W18)
- HE440I: Health and Human Rights (F16, F17)
- PS263A: Biopsychology (F17)
- HE201: Research Methods for Health Sciences (F16, F17)
- HE450A: Directed Studies in Addiction Research: Intervention and Harm Reduction (W17)
- HE450B: Directed Studies in Addiction Research: Cannabis and Harm Reduction (W17)
- PS330J: Psychopharmacology (F15)
- CC210: Psychology of Crime (S17, S18, F21, W22, F22, W23, F23, W24, F24, W25, S25)
- CC/HS/PD312: Mental Health and Justice (F22, W23, S23, F23, W24, S24, W25, S25)
- CC304: Addiction and Crime (F22, F23, W24)
- SK211: Human Behaviour and Environments (F15)
- BI110: Unifying Life Processes (F15, F16, S17)
- PS262: Sensation and Perception (F12, W13)
- PS390C: History and Philosophy of Psychology (W12)
- PS261: Introduction to Learning (W12)
- PS268: Drugs and Behaviour (W22, W23, S22, S24)
University of Waterloo
- HLTH/GERON320: Psychosocial Perspectives on Lifespan Development and Health (F18)
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PSYCH397: Research Methods in Personality and Clinical Psychology (F11, F12)
St. Jerome's University
- PSYCH212: Educational Psychology (F18,W19)
- PSYCH230: Psychology and Law (S13)
University of Guelph
- UNIV1200: First Year Seminar: Dangerous Ideas That Challenged and Changed the World (F20)
- ASCI4020: Interdisciplinary Research: Dialogues on Philosophy and Practice (W11, W12, W13)
- ASCI1000: Science and Society (F11)
- PSYC4540: Practical Applications of Psychology (F23, W24, F24)
- PSYC3270: Cognitive Neuroscience (F23, F24)
- PSYC3330: Memory and Attention (F24)
Contact Info:
Office location: N2007 (Science Building, Waterloo Campus)
Office hours: By appointment.
Personal website: wlu-ca.academia.edu/LaurieManwell
Publications and Citations: Laurie Manwell on Google Scholar
Interviews: https://www.everydayhealth.com/healthy-aging/what-is-brain-rot-and-how-can-you-prevent-it/