Psychiatry and Psychotherapy

Research projects

Network for the prevention of suicides in Thuringia

Principal investigator: PD Dr. Gerd Wagner
BMG 2017 - 2021

The project NeST serves the closer networking of the institutions involved in the care/treatment of suicidal persons, relatives and survivors in Eastern Thuringia. The project partners are the UKJ, the Thuringia Clinics "Georgius Agricola" in Saalfeld, Helios Specialist Clinics Hildburghausen and the Asklepios Specialist Hospital Stadtroda. The aim of the collaboration is to implement a series of suicide prevention measures to reduce the number of suicides and suicide attempts.

IBIS: Identification of Biotypes in the Spectrum of Depression

Principal investigator: Dr. Bianca Besteher
IZKF 2019 - 2023

In a cohort of 300 participants, multidimensional psychometrics, multimodal MR imaging (T1, rs-fMRI, QSM), acquisition of inflammation-specific laboratory data, and genome-wide sequencing will be performed across a spectrum of depressive symptomatology to characterize biologically distinct subtypes based on these data and to track the dependent clinical course using an app-assisted follow-up over one year.

NeuroMarKet: Neuroimaging and Blood Markers as Indicators of Ketamine Efficacy in Treatment Resistant Depression

Principal investigator: Prof. Dr. Martin Walter
BMBF-EU-EraNet-Neuron 2020 - 2023

Ketamine therapies are promising procedures with rapid effects for the treatment of treatment-resistant depression. However, approximately 30-50% of patients do not respond. Therefore, markers that proactively indicate whether patients will respond to treatment with ketamine would be beneficial. This project will investigate potential predictive blood biomarkers in ketamine treatments that have been linked to depression and correlate them with brain imaging biomarkers.

Stratification and augmentation of EEG neurofeedback in depression by monitoring dynamic brain states with simultaneous electroencephalography and magnetic resonance

Principal investigator: Prof. Dr. Martin Walter
DFG 2019 - 2023

Effects of emotion-focused vs cognitive interventions of schema therapy on emotion regulation deficits in females suffering borderline personality disorder

Interrelations between clinical efficacy, connectivity in the executive control and salience network and local glutamate/GABA metabolism

The main objective is to compare the effects of emotion-focused (experiential) and cognitive schema therapy (ST) interventions on deficits in emotion regulation in women with borderline personality disorder (BPD). A randomized, single-blind, parallel-group design will compare clinical effects and effects on connectivity and neurotransmitter metabolism. While the 9-week treatment protocol of particular interest includes emotion-focused interventions, the control condition is limited to cognitive interventions.

Further Projects

Methamphetamin-Konsum und dessen Auswirkungen auf die Funktion des mesolimbischen System sowie auf die Impulsivität und kognitive Kontrolle

Principal investigator: PD Dr. Gerd Wagner

IZKF 2019 - 2021
Unterscheiden sich emotionsfokussierte vs. nicht emotionsfokussierte psychotherapeutische Interventionen in ihrem Einfluss auf die Aktivität und Konnektivität in Hirnnetzwerken der Emotionsregulation bei Patienten mit Borderline-Persönlichkeitsstörung?

Principal investigators: apl. Prof. Dr. Stefan Smesny, Prof. Dr. Jürgen Reichenbach, PD Dr. Gerd Wagner

2017 - 2021

Selected publications

Neuser MP, Teckentrup V, Kühnel A, Hallschmid M, Walter M, Kroemer NB.Vagus nerve stimulation boosts the drive to work for rewards. Nat Commun. 2020 Jul 16;11(1):3555.
Colic L, Düring FV, Denzel D, Demenescu LR, Lord A, Martens L, Lison S, Frommer J, Vogel M, Kaufmann J, Speck O, Li M, Walter M. Rostral anterior cingulate Gln/Glu disbalance in major depressive disorder depends on symptom severity. Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging. 2019 Dec;4(12):1049-1058.
Martens L, Kroemer N, Teckentrup V, Colic L, Palomero-Gallagher N, Li M, Walter M. Localized prediction of glutamate from whole-brain functional connectivity of the pregenual anterior cingulate cortex. J Neurosci. 2020 Nov 18;40(47):9028-9042.
Besteher B, Brambilla P, Nenadić I. Twin studies of brain structure and cognition in schizophrenia. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2020 Feb;109:103-113. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.12.021. Epub 2019 Dec 13. PMID: 31843545.
Wagner G, de la Cruz F, Köhler S, Pereira F, Richard-Devantoy S, Turecki G, Bär KJ, Jollant F. Connectomics-Based Functional Network Alterations in both Depressed Patients with Suicidal Behavior and Healthy Relatives of Suicide Victims. Sci Rep. 2019 Oct 4;9(1):14330. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-50881-y.
Smesny, S., Gussew, A., Schack, S., Langbein, K., Wagner, G., Reichenbach, J.R. Neurometabolic patterns of an "at risk for mental disorders" syndrome involve abnormalities in the thalamus and anterior midcingulate cortex. Schizophr Res. 2020 May 19;S0920-9964(20)30228-0. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2020.04.021.
Amminger, G.P., Nelson, B., Markulev, C., Yuen, H.P., Schafer, M.R., Berger, M., Mossaheb, N., Schlogelhofer, M., Smesny, S., Hickie, I.B., Berger, G.E., Chen, E.Y.H., de Haan, L., Nieman, D.H., Nordentoft, M., Riecher-Rossler, A., Verma, S., Thompson, A., Yung, A.R., McGorry, P.D. The NEURAPRO Biomarker Analysis: Long-Chain Omega-3 Fatty Acids Improve 6-Month and 12-Month Outcomes in Youths at Ultra-High Risk for Psychosis. 2020. Biol Psychiatry 2020; 87(3): 243-52.