Research

In our closely interconnected Departments of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, led by Prof. Sigrid Elsenbruch, Affective Neuroscience under the leadership of Prof. Adriane Icenhour, and Social Neuroscience headed by Prof. Dirk Scheele, we unite research activities under a shared scientific profile. Our translational research expertise primarily comprises experimental approaches in biopsychology and neuroscience, with close ties to clinical contexts and transfers into clinical application.

Our research topics are interdisciplinary at the diverse intersections of psychology with medicine. We investigate biopsychosocial mechanisms in commonly occurring conditions such as chronic pain, anxiety disorders, and depression. Additionally, we explore risk factors such as anxiety, stress, and loneliness in both healthy subjects and clinical samples. Beyond advancing understanding of disease mechanisms, our research aims to translate new scientific insights into improved treatment approaches, for instance in the therapy of chronic pain and complex mental disorders.

Our scientific work is built on many fruitful collaborations and takes place within diverse scientific networks and research consortia. Many of our projects are funded by the German Research Foundation. We bring together expertise from neuroscience, biopsychology, as well as psychoneuroendocrinology and -immunology, and have an excellent research infrastructure encompassing state-of-the-art methods in pain and stress research, learning and memory research, as well as loneliness research.