Functional Neuroanatomy

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Our goal is to learn more about the pathophysiology of anxiety disorders, depression, ADHD and neurodegenerative diseases, including their respective treatment with the help of animal models.

Research focus

• Approach and avoidance behavior in a social context: Influence of social buffering (e.g. through the mere presence of a conspecific) on the behavior of mice in an animal model for social anxiety disorder (social phobia) (RTG 2660 SP C3).
• Molecular mechanisms of social and emotional behavior, e.g. epigenetic programming, gene x environment interaction (RTG 2660 SP C3)
• Neurobiological basis of behavior with a focus on the serotonergic, dopaminergic and glutamatergic system and its influence on learning & memory, on the induction of social fear and the effectiveness of social buffering (RTG 2660 SP C3), attention and impulsivity
• Neuronal plasticity with focus on the role of adult hippocampal neurogenesis and neuromorphology in the limbic system of animal models of anxiety, depression and neurodegenerative disorders (with a focus on Alzheimer`s disease)

Team

Head

• Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Angelika G. Schmitt-Böhrer
  Tel.:  +49 931 201 76402
  Fax.: +49 931 201 77220
  E-Mail: Schmitt_A3@ ukw.de

Research associates

• Dr. Catharina Hamann
  E-Mail: Hamann_C@ ukw.de

Doctoral students

• Elif Salur (PhD student)
  E-Mail: Salur_E@ ukw.de
• Sarul Dubiel (med. dent. doctoral candidate)
• Michael Hosch (med. doctoral cadidate)

Current projects

• German Research Foundation:
  Subproject C3 “Role of the serotonergic system in approach and avoidance behavior in social situations” of the research training group “Neural mechanisms of (mal)adaptive approach and avoidance behavior” (RTG 2660/1)

Publications

Publications of the working group can be found on pubmed or in the list of publications of our hospital.