Forschungsbereich: Systemische Neurowissenschaften

Leitung: Prof. Dr. med. Michael N. Smolka

About us

Our group connects basic research in neuroscience to clinically applied research. In order to better understand the neural mechanisms underlying mental disorders such as addiction or depression, we investigate the function of neural systems that are essential for emotion, motivation, executive function or decision making.

To examine the function of neural systems, for instance the reward system, subjects perform tasks (e.g. a delay discounting task) whilst lying in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner that records their brain activity.
Besides functional MRI, we also use structural MRI to investigate the link between brain structure and function. Positron emission tomography (PET) is applied to assess the function of neurotransmitter systems such as the dopamine or serotonin system. Combined with functional MRI, this allows us to investigate, for example, the relationship between processing of emotional stimuli and the function of the serotonin system. By combining imaging techniques with genetic, pharmacologic and endocrinologic methods, we can explore molecular, neurochemical, neuropharmacological and neuroendocrinological mechanisms.

Within the Technische Universität Dresden, the Section of Systems Neuroscience is closely associated with the Department of Psychology and the Neuroimaging Center, which offers excellent research collaborations and infrastructure, in particular the 3 Tesla MRI scanner.

Research Projects

• Serotonin transporters, serotonin transporter genotype and functional brain activation to aversive stimuli
• Thyroid system and function of cognitive and affective networks in the human brain
• The adolescent brain: Identifying neurodevelopmental pathways and mechanisms of higher-order volitional and executive control processes and their relationship to addictive and mental disorders
• IMAGEN
• Long term effects of chemotherapy for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukaemia on brain morphology and neurocognitive outcome of survivors
• Smoking cessation and weight gain
• Acute nicotine effects on ghrelin levels in non-smokers: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double blind study
• Effects of nicotine on emotional and motivational processing
• Genetic modulation of nicotine effects on reward processing
• Dresden study on longitudinal alcohol effects in young adults: Neuroimaging of impulsive and aggressive behavior
• Effects of real-time fMRI-based neurofeedback on emotional and stress reactivity

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