Forschung

Our group focuses on the involvement of gut-brain interaction in psychiatric disorders. We use neuroimaging, behavioral assessment, gut microbiome analysis and inflammatory profiling to gain deeper understanding on how peripheral signals modulate mood states and behavior in affective disorders.  To unravel the underlying mechanisms, we perform interventional studies applying neuromodulatory techniques such as transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation and pharmacological interventions. Our studies are conducted in a translational approach in close collaboration with groups within the department focusing on rodent work.

1. Blood brain barrier permeability in major depression
2. Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation in major depression
3. Reward behavior and insulin resistance

• ­­Sharmili Edwin Thanarajah (group leader)
• Carmen Schiweck (Postdoc)
• Mareike Aichholzer (Postdoc)
• Aicha-Bouzounina (PhD Student) 
• Miriam Großmann (MD student)
• Emily Brandt (MD student)
• Vivi Thurm (MD student)
• Sonja Sausmekat (MD student)
• Carmen Uckermark (student assistant)
• Viet Hoang Nguyen (MD student) 
• Rebecca Jacoby (student assistant) 
• Moritz Schneider (MD student)
• Tirage Hamzehloiya (MD student)
• Kevin Amaral (MSc student)
• Helena Reinken (MD student)
• Hannah Sochor (MD student)
• Jan Niklas Steinheimer (MD student)
• Tong Zhao (student assistant)
• Konrad Meyer (MD Student)
• Anne Hellmann (MD Student)
• Shahir Dastagir (MD Student)
• Lara Bruder (MD Student)

• Paula Colberg (BSc)
• Leona Jacobsen (MSc) 
• Dina Grinstein (student assistant) 

• FOKUS Grant  (SET & CS)
• Else Kröner Fresenius foundation(SET)
• Frankfurter Forschungs Förderung (CS)

for a full overview see Google scholar

Hanssen, R., Thanarajah, S. E., Tittgemeyer, M., & Brüning, J. C. (2022). Obesity–A Matter of Motivation?. Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology & Diabetes.

Aichholzer, M., Reif, A., & Reif-Leonhard, C. (2021). Depressive Erkrankungen: Diagnostik und Therapie. Hessisches Ärzteblatt, 82(6), 339–400.

Aichholzer, M., Schiweck, C., Edwin Thanarajah, S., & Reif, A. (2021). Immunometabolische Depression - ein neues Target für die Präzisionsmedizin in der Psychiatrie? Neuro Aktuell, 34(3).

Schiweck C, Arteaga-Henriquez G, Aichholzer M, Edwin Thanarajah S, Vargas-Cáceres S, Matura S, Grimm O, Haavik J, Kittel-Schneider S, Ramos-Quiroga JA, Faraone SV, Reif A. Comorbidity of ADHD and adult bipolar disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2021 May;124:100-123. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.01.017 . Epub 2021 Jan 27. PMID: 33515607 .

Hanssen, R., Kretschmer, A. C., Rigoux, L., Albus, K., Thanarajah, S. E., Sitnikow, T., ... & Tittgemeyer, M. (2021). GLP-1 and hunger modulate incentive motivation depending on insulin sensitivity in humans. Molecular metabolism, 45, 101163.

Borgmann, D., Rigoux, L., Kuzmanovic, B., Thanarajah, S. E., Münte, T. F., Fenselau, H., & Tittgemeyer, M. (2021). Modulation of fMRI brainstem responses by transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation. Neuroimage, 244, 118566.

Hanssen R, Kohlenbach L, Albus K, Edwin Thanarajah S, Cornely OA, Tittgemeyer M, Faust M, Successful lifestyle intervention for severely obese patients: A controlled study evaluating an intervention program, Diabetologie 2020; 15: 157–164

Grammespacher H, Richter N, Edwin Thanarajah S, Jacobs H, Dillen K, Nellessen N, von Reutern B, Dronse J, Kukolja J, Fink GR, Onur OA. Aberrant Frontostriatal Connectivity in Alzheimer’s disease with positive Palmomental Reflex, European Journal of Neurology, 2020 July, doi:10.1111/ene.14443

Edwin Thanarajah S, Tittgemeyer M, Food reward and gut-brain signaling. Neuroforum, Band 26, Heft 1, Seiten 1–9, eISSN 2363-7013, ISSN 0947-0875, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/nf-2019-0020.

Edwin Thanarajah S, Hoffstall V, Rigoux L, Hanssen R, Brüning JC, Tittgemeyer M, The role of insulin sensitivity and intranasally applied insulin on olfactory perception. Scientific Reports, 2019 May 10;9(1):7222. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-43693-7

Edwin Thanarajah S, Iglesias S, Kuzmanovic B, Rigoux L, Brüning JC, Stephan KE, Tittgemeyer M, Modulation of Midbrain Neurocircuitry by Intranasal Insulin, Neuroimage, 2019 Mar 23;194:120-127. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.03.050.

Thanarajah SE, Backes H, Difeliceantonio AG, Small D, Albus K, Cremer AL,Hanssen R, Lippert RN, Cornely OA, Small DM, Brüning JC, Tittgemeyer M, Food Intake Recruits Orosensory and Post-ingestive Dopaminergic Circuits to Affect Eating Desire in Humans. Cell Metabolism, 2018 Dec 24 pii:S1550-4131(18)30743-5. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2018.12.006.

Edwin Thanarajah S, Prüss H, Warnke C, Barbe MB, Schroeter M, Fink GR, Atypical autoimmune encephalitis with neuropil antibodies against a yet unknown epitope, Frontiers Neurology, 2019 March 05, (10):175, doi: 10.3389/fneur.2019.001753

Lippert RN, Cremer AL, Edwin Thanarajah S, Korn C, Jahans-Price T, Burgeno LM, Tittgemeyer M, Walton ME, Backes H, Time-dependent assessment of stimulus-evoked regional dopamine release, Nature Communication, 2019 Jan 18; 10 (1):336,doi:10.1038/s41467-018-08143-4

Difeliceantonio AG, Coppin G, Rigoux L, Edwin Thanarajah S, Dagher A, Tittgemeyer M, Small D, Supra-additive effects of combining fat and carbohydrate on food reward, Cell Metabolism,2018 Jul 3;28(1):33-44.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2018.05.018.

Edwin Thanarajah S, Han CE, Rotarska-Jagiela A, Singer W, Deichmann R, Maurer K, Kaiser M & Uhlhaas PK, 2016, Abnormal Connectional Fingerprint in Schizophrenia: A Novel Network Analysis of Diffusion Tensor Imaging Data. Frontiers Psychiatry, 2016 Jun 30;7:114. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2016.00114

Schiweck,C., Claes,S., Van Oudenhove, L., Lafit,G., Vaessen,T., Müller,N., Arolt,V., Drexhage,HA. Vrieze, E. (2020). Childhood trauma, suicide risk and inflammatory phenotypes of depression: Insights from monocyte gene expression. TRANSLATIONAL PSYCHIATRY 10, 296 doi: 10.1038/s41398-020-00979-z

Schiweck, C., Valles-Colomer, M., Arolt, V., Müller, N., Raes, J., Wijkhuijs, A., ... & Vrieze, E. (2020). Depression and suicidality: a link to premature T helper cell aging and increased Th17 cells. BRAIN BEHAVIOUR AND IMMUNITY. 87:603-609. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2020.02.005

Valles-Colomer M., Falony G., Darzi Y., Tigchelaar EF., Wang J., Tito RY., Schiweck C., Kurilshikov A., Joossens M., Wijmenga C., Claes S., Van Oudenhove L., Zhernakova A., Vieira-Silva S., Raes J. (2019). The neuroactive potential of the human gut microbiota in quality of life and depression. NATURE MICROBIOLOGY, 4 (4), 623-632. doi: 10.1038/s41564-018-0337-x.

Schiweck C., Piette D., Berckmans D., Claes S., Vrieze E. (2019). Heart rate and high frequency heart rate variability during stress as biomarker for clinical depression. A systematic review. PSYCHOLOGICAL MEDICINE, 49 (2), 200-211. doi: 10.1017/S0033291718001988.

(shared first author) Vergaelen E., Schiweck C., Van Steeland K., Counotte J., Veling W., Swillen A., Drexhage H., Claes S. (2018). A pilot study on immuno-psychiatry in the 22q11.2 deletion syndrome: a role for Th17 cells in psychosis? BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND IMMUNITY, 70, Art.No. S08891591(18)30075-8, 88-95. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2018.03.022.

(shared first author) Snijders G., Schiweck C., Mesman E., Grosse L., De Wit H., Nolen WA., Drexhage HA., Hillegers MH J. A dynamic course of T cell defects in individuals at risk for mood disorders. BRAIN BEHAVIOR AND IMMUNITY, 58, 11-17. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2016.05.007.