Graduate School

Prof. Dr. Dr. med. Anne Albrecht

Anne Albrecht is the head of the Department of Neuroanatomy at the Institute of Anatomy at the Otto-von-Guericke University. Her research group studies the functional neuroanatomy of emotional memory and stress adaptation circuits. She also teaches anatomy to 1st and 2nd year medical students.

The focus of her research is on the investigation of GABAergic interneurons and neuropeptides in learning, memory and stress processing in rodent models. To analyze the role of e.g. orexin in circuits of memory formation, her group uses neuronal tracing, high-resolution methods for expression analysis (RNAScope, laser-assisted microdissection & qPCR) as well as viral and pharmacological interventions in conjunction with behavioral analysis in mice and structural and molecular studies in cell and tissue cultures.

Christoph Knoll

“Ingenuity, excellence and continual learning” – these three words sum up my passion for the field of Cognitive Neuroscience and Sport Science. In my PhD, I aim to develop a research profile within the field of Cognitive Neuroscience and Microstructural Imaging that investigates in brain vasculature and connected ccognitive changes. I aspire to gain practical insights about the best spatial resolution system of 7 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging.

Gerard Callau Navarro

Gerard Callau Navarro is a PhD student under the supervision of Professor Thomas Wolbers at the Aging, Cognition & Technology group at DZNE Magdeburg. Building upon his master’s research on sharp wave ripples, where he assessed state-of-the-art imaging technologies for monitoring high-frequency oscillations related to memory, he has transitioned to human neuroscience for his doctoral studies. His current research employs a multimethod approach to investigate the memory mechanisms underlying healthy and pathological aging. By integrating diffusion MRI, fMRI, MRSI, and virtual reality technologies, he seeks to elucidate the neural mechanisms that confer resilience against cognitive decline typically observed with aging. Additionally, he is committed to gain expertise in artificial intelligence methods and incorporating these into his research to advance our understanding of cognitive aging processes.

Luca Budinger

coming soon

Julius Duske

I’m a medicine student at the Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg. Since October 2022, I am pausing my studies, to work on my MD thesis at the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology. As a part of project A01 at CRC1436, I explore the influence that circadian rhythm disturbances have on cognitive flexibility. Because the neuropeptide orexin plays an important role in regulating sleep-wake cycle and its brain levels are affected by disruptions of it, I’m interested whether an orexinergic modulation on chronic jetlag-induced mice can decrease their deficits in cognitive flexibility.

Sophia Engler

I am a medical student at Otto-von-Guericke-University in Magdeburg, and I intend to temporarily pause my studies starting in October 2023 to fully dedicate myself to my research in Project B02. I will focus on studying the effects of cognitive training on the brain performance and plasticity of older adults. Additionally, I will investigate the structural changes in the brain and assess the impact of hidden pathologies.

Annabell Ernst

coming soon

Erelle Fuchs

coming soon

Hannah Gapp

coming soon

Lilli Marie Lümkemann

coming soon

Linus Marquering

coming soon

Julia Poppke

I am a medical student at the Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg and have decided to pause my studies to work on my MD thesis at the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology. As a part of the CRC-project A01, I am focussing on the NMDA receptor and the question of how the stimulation of the GluN2A subunit of the receptor affects cognitive flexibility in mice. The NMDA receptor has an important role in learning processes and adaptation to changes in the environment, which I am investigating by using the Attentional Set Shifting Task (ASST).

Theresa Schaaf

coming soon