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Pain perception in affected individuals is more strongly influenced by learned fear than in healthy individuals. Changes along the gut-brain axis related to chronic inflammation may explain this.
Many patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) suffer from abdominal pain even between acute inflammatory flare-ups. Altered processing of pain in response to fear may be involved.
Die Psychologin beschäftigt sich vor allem mit dem Erkennen von Gesichtern, Stimmen und Sprachen – mit Fähigkeiten, die für eine erfolgreiche Kommuni-kation mit anderen Menschen unabdingbar sind.
Wie speichern wir Erwartungen ab? Und wie verändern wir sie? Warum nehmen Menschen ein und dieselbe Situation unterschiedlich wahr? Obwohl die Auswirkungen von Kon-text und Erwartungen auf unsere Kognition vielfach nach-gewiesen wurden, geben viele der zugrunde liegenden Mechanismen nach wie vor Rätsel auf.
What is the evolutionary advantage of our consciousness? And what can we learn about this from observing birds? Researchers at Ruhr University Bochum published two articles on this topic.
Although scientific research about consciousness has enjoyed a boom in the past two decades, one central question remains unanswered: What is the function of consciousness? Why did it evolve at all? The answers to these questions are crucial to understanding why some species (such as our own) became conscious while others (such as oak trees) did not.
Der an der RUB angesiedelte Sonderforschungsbereich Extinktionslernen erforscht die neuronalen Grundlagen von Lernen und Verlernen – die bisherigen Forschungsergebnisse könnten Angst- und Schmerztherapien verbessern.
Wie können wir einmal Erlerntes wieder loswerden? Der Prozess des erstmaligen Lernens ist gut verstanden – das Extinktionslernen viel komplexer. Die grundlegenden Fragen hierzu bearbeitet das Team des SFB 1280 „Extinktionslernen“ an der RUB seit 2017.
Researchers uncover how a key RNA-processing factor safeguards proper brain development.
Microcephaly is a congenital malformation that leads to a significantly reduced brain size and is often accompanied by developmental delay. An international research team led by Dr. Tran Tuoc from the Department of Human Genetics at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, has discovered a previously unknown genetic cause for this condition. Mutations in the EXOSC10 gene – a central component of the RNA degradation complex (“exosome”) – cause primary microcephaly.
Der Biopsychologe der Ruhr-Universität gilt nicht nur als herausragender Forscher. Er engagiert sich auch sehr für seine Studierenden.
Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Onur Güntürkün vom Lehrstuhl für Biopsychologie der Ruhr-Universität Bochum ist Professor des Jahres 2025. Der Preis wurde ihm am 27. Oktober zuerkannt. Die hochkarätig besetzte Jury unter der Leitung von Prof. Dr. Ulrich Radtke würdigt mit der Ehrung Güntürküns „herausragendes Engagement als Hochschullehrer und Mentor“.
People with ataxia often experience stress-induced motor incoordination. Researchers have now discovered which receptor is responsible for this.
Researchers at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, identified a receptor that plays a crucial role in stress-induced motor incoordination associated with ataxias. These hereditary motor disorders have long been linked to the neurotransmitter norepinephrine.
In 2025, the International Graduate School of Neuroscience (IGSN), in cooperation with the Research Department of Neuroscience (RDN), invited the public to the 14th Brain Day at Ruhr University Bochum.
Around 450 guests accepted the invitation and experienced a varied program of lectures and activities aimed at all those interested in science. Numerous hands-on activities and an exhibition of children's drawings from our school competitions enriched the breaks between lectures. As in previous years, many self-help groups offered information and advice in discussions with visitors.
Manchmal erzählen die Großeltern die gleichen alten Geschichten immer und immer wieder, Oma vergisst, die Herdplatte auszuschalten, und Opa nennt Dich „Friedrich“ und wird wütend, wenn Du nicht reagierst. Sind das schon Anzeichen von Demenz?
Was verändert sich, wenn Menschen an Demenz erkranken? Die International Graduate School of Neuroscience (IGSN) ruft Bochumer Schüler*innen der Klassen 6, 7 und 8 zum Schreibwettbewerb auf.
The highly acknowledged VR Summit returns for its third edition, uniting global experts and innovators in extended reality (XR), neuroscience, psychology, education and clinical practice.
Previous events brought world‑renowned XR researchers and innovators to Bochum, placing the city on the map of cutting‑edge research and innovation in immersive technologies.This year’s program extends over four days, featuring the VRS Hackathon (18–19 October 2025) followed by the VR Summit (20–21 October 2025).
Researchers ask physicians to consider anti-IgLON5 disease if certain symptoms are present, as the only promising approach is early treatment.
It often starts with restless sleep. Mobility, swallowing, and speaking disorders are also typical. Yet a range of other symptoms make it difficult to diagnose anti-IgLON5 disease. Left untreated, this rare autoimmune disease leads to severe disabilities in just a few years and is often fatal.
Einblicke in eine faszinierende Welt - darum geht es einmal pro Jahr an der Ruhr-Universität Bochum, wenn die Neurowissenschaftler*innen zum BRAIN DAY ins Veranstaltungszentrum einladen.
Ein Tag im Zeichen der Bochumer Neurowissenschaften mit Vorträgen, Informationen und Mitmachaktionen. Alle Besucher*innen sind eingeladen zu schauen, zu hören, zu fühlen, nachzufragen und mitzumachen. Auch im Jahr 2025 arbeitet das Organisations-Team des BRAIN DAY's wieder daran, für seine Gäste ein spannendes Angebot zusammenzustellen.
For animals, sleeping on their left side is not about comfort. It is a survival strategy.
Cats prefer to sleep on their left side. This is the conclusion drawn by an international research team that analyzed several hundred YouTube videos of sleeping cats. The researchers see this bias as an evolutionary advantage because it favors hunting and escape behavior after waking up. The team from the University of Bari Aldo Moro (Italy), Ruhr University Bochum, Medical School Hamburg and other partners in Germany, Canada, Switzerland and Turkey report on the study in the journal Current Biology.
Physicians from Bochum have used a cancer treatment method to treat severe autoimmune diseases.
A team of physicians from Bochum are the first to successfully use CAR T-cell therapy to treat two patients with a autoimmune disease of the peripheral nervous system. This treatment modifies endogenous immune cells such that they can specifically target and eliminate B lymphocytes, which are here the origin of autoimmunity. This is the world’s first clinical report in the use of CAR T-cell therapy to treat a serious autoimmune neuropathy.
Mit dem Format BrainBusiness sind wir angetreten, um ein Austauschformat im Bereich der Neurowissenschaften zu etablieren. Unterschiedliche Disziplinen und vor allem unterschiedliche Perspektiven aus Wissenschaft, Versorgung und Wirtschaft sollen zusammenkommen und voneinander lernen!
Nach erfolgreicher Etablierung setzen wir die Reihe fort und legen in diesem Jahr den Fokus auf die visuelle Wahrnehmung und zugehörige Erkrankungen sowie auf Herausforderungen und Lösungen zur Mentalen Gesundheit.
Researchers are investigating the mechanisms and identifying new areas of the brain that can benefit patients when stimulated.
Persons with Parkinson’s disease lose their mobility over time and are eventually unable to walk. Hope for these patients rests on deep brain stimulation, also known as a brain pacemaker. In a current study, researchers from the universities Bochum and Marburg investigated whether and how stimulation of a certain region of the brain can have a positive impact on ambulatory ability.
Linguistic symptoms and an onset early in life: Disorders to which this applies are frequently associated with left-handedness resp. mixed-handedness.
The fact that left-handedness resp. mixed-handedness are strikingly common in patients with certain neurological disorders is a frequently reported observation in medical practice. The reason why handedness is associated with these disorders is probably because both are affected by processes in early brain development.
Upon energy restriction, an unusual release of the neurotransmitter glutamate can be observed. The overabundance of glutamate ultimately causes damages to nerve cells.
Our brain requires a constant supply of energy. A disrupted energy supply, as it is for instance caused by a stroke, can have serious complications. A team from the research group Cellular Neurobiology at Ruhr University Bochum investigated how an energy deficiency in the brain affects the release of the neurotransmitter glutamate.
Researchers conducted an experiment in which test subjects felt like a rubber hand was part of their own body. As a result, their own hand became less sensitive to pain.
If a person hides their own hand and focuses on a rubber hand instead, they may perceive it as part of their own body under certain conditions. What sounds like a gimmick could one day be used to help patients who suffer from chronic pain: Researchers at the LWL University Hospital in Bochum, Germany, have shown that pain caused by heat is experienced as less severe thanks to the rubber hand illusion.
The locus coeruleus and the ventral tegmental area compete for control over the formation of memory content. This has been shown by a team of neuroscientists using light-controlled nerve cells.
Researchers at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, have studied the impact of two brain areas on the nature of memory content. The team from the Department of Neurophysiology showed in rats how the so-called locus coeruleus and the ventral tegmental area permanently alter brain activity in the hippocampus region, which is crucial for the formation of memory.
A learning experiment with participants of different ages produced surprising results.
The ability to make the connection between an event and its consequences – experts use the term associative learning – is a crucial skill for adapting to the environment. It has a huge impact on our mental health. A study by the Mental Health Research and Treatment Center (FBZ) at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, shows that children of primary school age demonstrate the highest learning performance in this area.
Die Neurologische Klinik und Poliklinik der Ruhr-Universität Bochum am BG Universitätsklinikum Bergmannsheil hat einen neuen Direktor.
Prof. Dr. Tobias Ruck schätzt die enge Verzahnung von Klinik und Forschung: „Das Bergmannsheil ist als Teil des Universitätsklinikums der Ruhr-Universität Bochum auch in der neurowissenschaftlichen Forschung sehr aktiv. Somit bieten sich meinem Team und mir hervorragende Rahmenbedingungen, das klinische und wissenschaftliche Profil unserer Klinik weiter zu schärfen und auszubauen.“
Der Mediziner folgt Kirsten Schmieder als Klinikdirektor an den Knappschaft Kliniken Universitätsklinikum Bochum.
Prof. Dr. Niklas Thon, anerkannter Experte auf dem Gebiet der Neurochirurgie, ist seit Januar 2025 Professor an der Ruhr-Universität Bochum und Klinikdirektor der Neurochirurgie an den Knappschaft Kliniken Universitätsklinikum Bochum. In Langendreer hat er die Nachfolge von Prof. Dr. Kirsten Schmieder angetreten.
Researchers have gained valuable insight into the development of prion diseases of the brain.
Protein aggregation is typical of various neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and prion diseases such as Creutzfeld-Jakob disease. A research team headed by Professor Jörg Tatzelt from the Department of Biochemistry of Neurodegenerative Diseases at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, has now used new in vitro and cell culture models to show that a lipid anchor on the outer membrane of nerve cells inhibits the aggregation of the prion protein.
The extended amygdala plays a major role in assessing diffuse threats and in persistent fear reactions. Studies show that it is also involved in learning and unlearning specific fear stimuli.
If a neighbor’s dog dislikes children and jumps up at them, barking loudly, the children might give all dogs a wide berth for a while. A sensible learning effect – as who knows whether all dogs are so aggressive? You can also free yourself of a fear learned in this way: If the children have better experiences with friendlier dogs, they can lose their fear again.
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Last update: 2025/12/16 | 2 pm