neuroMADLAB

We are hiring two PhD students as part of the newly established German Center for Mental Health @TueCMH. We will evaluate the effectiveness of non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation to improve the recovery of mental and physical health. Curious? Check neuromadlab.org/jobs

Can we use macronutrients to understand altered food reward in depression? Our new preprint shows that patients with MDD report lower wanting & liking for foods rich in fat or protein (vs. carbs). Work w/ @lilly_thurn, @Cor_Et_Cerebrum, @DibaBorgmann medrxiv.org/content/10.110…

Our current DFG-funded study on non-invasive tVNS in patients with depression was covered in a very nice TV report tonight. This project is a huge team effort and I am conviced we need such resources to optimize the use of tVNS for interventions.

Our second living Bayesian meta-analysis on tVNS-induced effects is online now 👀. In this preprint+app, we analyze pupil dilation and find marked differences between pulsed (works!) vs. continuous protocols. biorxiv.org/content/10.110…

#PuG2024 in Hamburg comes to an end with the last keynote lecture by Nils Kroemer @cornu_copiae on body-brain interactions in the control of motivation, in particular focusing on the gut-brain interface 🍝🧠

And the last keynote at #PuG2024 is given by Nils B. Kroemer @cornu_copiae @neuroMADLAB from @UniBonn and @uni_tue on „Body-Brain Interactions in the Control of Motivation“ 🧠

Finishing up an excellent #PuG2024 with a keynote from our @cornu_copiae on body-brain interactions in the control of motivated behaviour @bioDGPs_DGPA

Great talk from @Cor_Et_Cerebrum from @neuroMADLAB “From gut to goals: boosting effort via modulation of the body-brain axis” at S06 Facets of (a)motivation 🍪💵 #PuG2024

Today, Corinna @Cor_Et_Cerebrum will present our recent work on gut-brain interactions in the exciting #PuG2024 symposium on facets of (a)motivation: effort-based decision-making in health and disease.

📢Job offer: We're looking for a postdoc interested in emotion, motivation, and/or social psychology. Located at exciting @psychologie_hgw & beautiful @uni_greifswald. German not required and much flexibility. Thanks for sharing! Happy to answer questions. More information:

We have finally optimized our closed-loop setup for pulsed taVNS at the 3T MR scanner in Bonn. I tested it inside yesterday and it works like a charm. Special thanks to everyone who supported the required hardware adjustments. Can't wait to run our studies now.

Fasting can exert mood enhancing effects, but it is not clear how. We show that fasting levels of the stomach-derived hormone ghrelin are associated with an elevated mood. Effects were stronger in patients with depression taking no meds. Now published🎉🧵sciencedirect.com/science/articl…

Are you fascinated by the potential of non-invasive brain stimulation to improve motivation? We have an unanticipated opening for PhD students @uni_tue and @GTC_Tue. More information (requires a good command of German): neuromadlab.com/en/research/jo…

Does vagus nerve stimulation induce motivational effects in patients with depression? Our study shows acute tVNS-induced increases in invigoration that are largely maintained. Patients also report increases in wanting. Led by Ferstl & @anne_kuehnel sciencedirect.com/science/articl…

Which result would it take for us to reconsider anhedonia as a loss of pleasure in depression? We used a taste test to show relative increases in reward ratings during the consummatory phase in people with more severe anhedonia. Check out the 🧵by the fab @Cor_Et_Cerebrum

What is anhedonia? Inability to experience pleasure? Loss of interest? Both? To treat reward deficits, we need to know WHEN (anticipation or consummation) and WHERE (wanting or liking) deficits manifest. Let's unravel this mystery! 🕵️🧵 medrxiv.org/content/10.110…

🔍 Looking for participants for a study on the impact of oral contraceptives on the brain 🧠. If you want to start or stop taking the pill, or you're a long-term user of the pill, DM me to contribute to women's mental health research! 💊

New preprint from the lab 🥳. We show that higher fasting levels of ghrelin are associated with a better mood state in patients with MDD and healthy people. Congratulations to Rauda (as an M.D. student) and @Cor_Et_Cerebrum for leading the effort.

Is the vagus nerve all about regulating 'rest & digest'? Our @TrendsCognSci review shows that vagal afferents support survival more broadly, helping organisms to 'strive to survive' by gating internal signals. W/ @glassybrain. authors.elsevier.com/a/1iALr4sIRvPN…

Behandlung körperlicher Symptome bei Depression durch nicht-invasive Vagusnervstimulation - Teilnehmende für Studie am Universitätsklinikum Bonn gesucht #ukb #ukbonn #studie ukbnewsroom.de/behandlung-koe…

It was an honor to open the conference this morning with an excellent symposium on somatic symptoms of depression at #dgppn. Great contributions by @revivaciously, @OpelNils, @SThanarajah. Great to see the surging interest in the community.