Research Topics

Emotions and social cognitions significantly determine our behavior and social interactions. Their importance becomes particularly visible in the case of impairments such as those often found in mental disorders. In order to determine their diagnostic, therapeutic and predictive potential, the research group is dedicated to the neuropsychobiological correlates of these processes and their mechanistic understanding. Exemplary in focus are aggression and impulsivity, in healthy individuals and patients with mental disorders. The aim is to characterize emotional and cognitive processes more precisely, primarily with the aid of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), but also using combined fMRI-EEG measurements, physiological, behavioral and neuropsychological measurements, and to record them multimodally and across scales. For this purpose, visual, olfactory, nociceptive, and acoustic stimuli are used in experimental approaches. At the same time, content-related and methodological influencing factors (including age, genetic disposition, hormonal or cultural influences, quality assurance) are taken into account. Special attention is paid to the consideration of gender as an influencing factor. A suitable model for the investigation of biological gender influences and those of gender identity on brain structure and function is provided by the study of transgender individuals and hormonal effects of gender reassignment therapy. Another research focus is the functional imaging evaluation and development of therapeutic interventions, including psychotherapeutic but also non-invasive brain stimulation techniques. Recently, the multimodal, rapidly increasing amount of data has led to the application of data-driven and model-based analysis methods in cooperation with external and internal colleagues with the aim to identify diagnostic, predictive and prognostic biomarkers.