ACE Characteristics
These projects focus on factors contributing to elevated risk or resilience with respect to the development of mental and somatic disorders after ACE, particularly regarding type, timing, and intensity of ACE. The influence of these factors on alterations in human brain morphometry will be studied in project A1. The influence of type, timing and intensity will be studied in an animal model (A2), which will also be used in project C4. Within the RTG, we will be able to combine data from several existing samples of affected individuals: data from a recently started prospective study on refugee children (A3) as well as an ongoing large-scale prospective community study (A4). The RTG duration of maximal nine years will give the opportunity to cover critical developmental periods and allow consecutive follow-up investigations, which will give rise to various new projects.
Brain Morphometry (A1)
Type and Timing of ACE and Brain Morphological Alterations
ACE have been postulated to be associated with morphological alterations of the brain. First evidence hints at certain vulnerable periods in which traumatisation is associated with damage of regions such as hippocampus and amygdala. However, these studies need to be replicated in larger samples. Furthermore, the influence of specific types as well as the timing of ACE needs to be investigated. The planned doctoral projects will tackle these questions and also look at neuropsychological deficits related to these morphological alterations.
| Principal Investigators: | C. Schmahl, G. Ende |
| MD Student: | Lennart Ettinghausen |
| PhD Student: | Lemye Zehirlioğlu |
| Associated PhD Student: | Richard Nkrumah |
| Associated MD Student: | Melissa Feichtmair |
Neurobiology (A2)
The Impact of Early Social Adversity on Social and Emotional Competence in Later Life and the Underlying Neurobiological Mechanisms
This project studies consequences of early social adversity (ESA) on social competence and emotional behaviour throughout lifetime in rats. Longitudinal studies in rats allow to systematically examine (i) the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of effects of ESA and (ii) its mediators such as ESA type, timing, intensity, and gender. The planned PhD projects will obtain a causal mechanistic understanding of the molecular underpinnings of the pathological behavioural consequences of ESA. Different techniques from longitudinal behavioural analysis in the social and emotional domains to neuroanatomical techniques, and the use of virus-mediated gene transfer and novel transgenic rat models will be applied.
| Principal Investigators: | R. Spanagel, A.C. Hansson |
| PhD Student: | Netsanet Belay |
Risk Factors (A3)
Risk Factors and Vulnerable Time Periods for Development and Mental Health in Refugee Children and Adolescents
Germany has become an important recipient of new asylum applications from refugee children. As a result, the importance of refugee childrens’ mental health has received significant attention in the German health care system. Understanding potential mechanisms for poor mental health in young asylum seekers is essential for addressing mental health needs. The RECORE (refugees‘ community and resilience) study intends to broaden our knowledge on these mechanisms, using a multimodal approach: Based on findings from qualitative research, this project aims to develop and validate the RECORE questionnaire, assessing resilience and community-level factors relevant for refugee minors in Germany. Finally, this project sets out to examine the influence of RECORE factors on mental health by applying the RECORE questionnaire along with refugee specific ACE (adverse childhood experiences) measurements and validated mental health tools in a large online study. This study intends to contribute to our understanding of the mental health needs of refugee minors in Germany, empowering those in need of care and informing policymakers working on community-based interventions.
| Principal Investigators: | U. Reininghaus, J. Fischer |
| PhD Student: | Luise Zimmermann |
Resilience Factors (A4)
Resilience Factors in the Mannheim Study of Children at Risk
ACE have been linked to a broad range of psychiatric disorders from both the externalizing and the internalizing spectrum. So far, however, it is unclear why some individuals develop a disorder while others continue to demonstrate psychobiological allostasis. In this context, it has been suggested that protective factors may play an important role in counteracting ACE. The planned doctoral projects will engage in this topic by elucidating resilience from a multilevel perspective, i.e., taking (social) environmental, genetic, personality, hormonal, and neural factors into account.
| Principal Investigators: | N. Holz, T. Banaschewski |
| PhD Student: | Seda Sacu |