News
Find out what we are currently working on and what developments are influencing our research.
Award for Dr. Hanna Öhlmann
For her publication "Fear-induced hyperalgesia in quiescent inflammatory bowel disease", published in PAIN, Dr. Hanna Öhlmann (2. left) was awarded the Neurogastroenterology Research Award by the German Society for Digestive and Metabolic Diseases (DGVS). © picture: Steffen Runke - Die Bildermanufaktur
[Translate to English:] Our center presented itself at BRAIN DAY
With two booths and a presentation, our center was represented at BRAIN DAY, an annual event where neuroscientists present their research to the interested public, patients, and anyone who wants to learn more about the human brain.
Symposium at the DGPs-congress
The team around Prof. Dr. Adriane Icenhour organized a symposium on the topic “Translational values of extinction learning” as part of the Congress of the German Psychological Society in Luxembourg.
New Book Chapter on the Neuroscience of Loneliness
We are pleased to announce the publication of the renowned Cambridge Handbook of Loneliness, to which Prof. Dr. Dirk Scheele and Dr. Jana Lieberz from the University of Bonn contributed a chapter on the neuroscience of loneliness. The chapter explores the complex neural mechanisms underlying loneliness and examines its implications for mental health. By bringing together current empirical findings and theoretical perspectives, the handbook aims to provide a deeper understanding of this multifaceted phenomenon.
Funding
The German Research Foundation (DFG) funds the scientific network CORE (Collaborative Open and Reproducible Research on Emotion Regulation).
Poster Award for Maike Kneist
For her poster on “taVNS Effects on Cognitive Emotion Regulation: the Modulatory Role of Noradrenergic Activity,” our doctoral student Maike Kneist (pictured left with Dr. Valerie Jentsch) recently received an award at the “Psyche und Gehirn” congress in Heidelberg.
New publication on contingency awareness
In a translational model of pain-related conditioning, we investigated the brainbehavior relationships that underlie contingency awareness ....
Inaugural symposium with international guests
With around 100 invited guests and both national and international speakers, our center was inaugurated on May 13, 2026, as part of a symposium held at the Bochum Jahrhunderthalle.
New publication on emotion regulation
The study investigated how rumination and reappraisal as emotion regulation strategies affect psychophysiological responses to repeated social stress.
New publication on the biopsychosocial aspects of disorders of gut–brain interaction
This review summarizes evidence-based psychosocial approaches for adult and pediatric patient groups and highlights the bidirectional influences of biological and psychosocial factors on gut physiology and brain mechanisms.
New publication on predicting learning processes
The ability to learn and adapt is crucial, but individuals differ greatly in how effectively they learn, especially in extinction learning.
New publication on defecation urgency
Defecation urgency is a frequent and troubling symptom for people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)—yet what exactly defines it remains unclear. In our study, we explore how urgency can be measured, both in real life and through rectal sensation thresholds, and examine its clinical and neural connections.
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