Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Medical Psychology

302038, 302045, 302046, 302065, 302066

Bio-psycho-social aspects of diseases and doctor-patient-relationship

The Clinical Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Medical Psychology, Division of Psychiatry I, 9 research groups and internationally recognised research on dementia, addiction, schizophrenia and affective disorders.

Embedded in the clinical services of the centre, the research groups in the Division of Psychiatry I have a long tradition of work on a host of topics related to psychiatry and funded by grants from the European Union, the Austrian Science Foundation, the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer, the European Group for Research in Schizophrenia and the pharmaceutical industry – the final two through investigator-initiated grants in classical, industry-sponsored, phase II and phase III trials. International collaborators include Keio University in Tokyo and the University of Bergen in Norway and the Division has local collaborators within the department and in other medical branches at the Medical University of Innsbruck.

Not only does the group provide clinical services for the catchment area, it also pursues scientific interests including the identification of predictors, risk factors and markers of progression for neurocognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Due to the increasing prevalence of dementia and the recent development of new treatment options for AD, the group has developed and implemented a telephone triage system to improve patient management and selection. In close cooperation with the laboratory for Experimental Alzheimer’s Research, we are assessing plasma biomarkers of tau proteins for use as diagnostic markers for AD. Additional topics are being studied in collaboration with the Department of Neuroradiology, Neurology and the Management Center Innsbruck – Communication & IT.

Experimental Alzheimer’s Research

Christian Humpel

In close collaboration with clinical researchers, the group is focusing on finding and establishing novel biomarkers in blood and saliva to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia. The ISO 9001:2015 certified laboratory also routinely measures biomarkers (beta-amyloid and tau) in cerebrospinal fluid samples. Humpel’s basic research addresses organotypic brain slices with the aim of using the model to investigate the complex pathologies of Alzheimer’s disease. Based on a previous EU project, we are using collagen microcontact prints to optimise the 3D organotypic brain slice model and to set up a “brain-on-a-chip”. 16 PhD students have been involved in the research.

Clinical Research in Addiction / Substance dependence

Ao. Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Claudia Rupp

The group is located within the University Hospital’s rehabilitation unit for alcohol dependence (“Therapie- und Gesundheitszentrum Mutters, TGM”) and works on clinical neuroscience, (neuropsychological) research and knowledge in clinical education. Guided by a biopsychosocial understanding of alcohol dependence, our research focuses on neurofunctional domains (e.g. executive function, decision making, social cognition) that are relevant to contemporary neuroscience models of the development and maintenance of addiction and that directly or indirectly contribute to the health burden of individuals. We are devoted considerable attention to the transfer of neuroscience knowledge derived from addiction research and other (neuroscience) fields of brain health into clinical practice (e.g. the expansion of the clinical neuropsychological service and interdisciplinary treatment)

Experimental Psychiatry

Rana El Rawas

Drug addiction is a chronic, relapsing brain disorder with significant health and societal implications. Our group is investigating the functional role of SATB2, a DNA-binding protein involved in gene regulation through chromatin remodeling, in cocaine reinstatement. We are using a multidisciplinary approach that integrates behavioral and molecular analysis, modulating SATB2 expression in key reward-related regions of the brain and assessing the impact on cocaine relapse. We are also exploring neuron-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) from peripheral blood as potential biomarkers for psychiatric disorders, in particular drug addiction. A further topic relates to the investigation of kinases in the blood of patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression, which we hope to lead to novel molecular markers for these conditions.

Schizophrenia Research

Alex Hofer

Past and ongoing studies focus on antipsychotics, ranging from early drug development in phase II clinical trials to large-scale international studies of effectiveness. The underlying theme is always enhancement of the treatment options for patients with schizophrenia.

Further research of the group relates to resilience and both neuro- and social cognition and we have conducted a number of studies of the impact of these factors on patient outcome. In other work, we have investigated the associations between residual symptoms of schizophrenia and between the side effects of medication and patients’ driving fitness.

Affective Disorders and Suicidology

Eberhard A. Deisenhammer

Affective Disorders:

The main research focus of the group lies on the effects of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in patients with treatment-resistant depression. Projects include the association of clinical response with mitochondrial activity and other biological markers. We are investigating associations between multimodal MRI parameters and clinical symptoms, which together may provide more accurate biomarkers for treatment response. The project is supported by the intramural funding program of the MUI for young scientists (MUI-START). The results are strengthened by our participation in a Global ECT-MRI Research Collaboration (GEMRIC), which allows larger sample sizes. Further participation and data sharing in the Global ECT-Network (GENET collaboration) is expanding our project, enabling us to collect ECT treatment data and associated biosignals (e.g. EEG), which may show differential effects on ECT response. Automatic digitalization, instead of the current method of manually inputting the data from readouts, will save time, minimize errors and facilitate analysis. We have established an internal ECT database (IKEDA) and are using it for collaboration projects with the Global ECT-network. In additional efforts, we have completed a study on subclinical hypomanic experiences and their association with affective disorders and are continuing to focus on altered sensory symptoms in depressed patients, currently addressing alterations of the olfactory sense and the sense of taste.

Suicidology:

Research topics in suicide and suicide prevention include biological (immunological, plasma lipids) markers. The period preceding a suicidal act is also of interest. We have studied factors that may impact the transition from suicidal ideation to suicidal behavior, considering the effects of a suicide prevention barrier as a major bridge on suicide numbers, with a particular focus on a potential substitution effect. We found international suicide rates to be related to tobacco and alcohol consumption. We are currently planning a study of patients who experienced a suicidal crisis but did not proceed to attempt suicide. Finally, we are participating in the working group preparing the German S3-Leitlinie (guideline) on suicide prevention.

Behavioural medicine and clinical psychology

Bernhard Holzner

In close collaboration with the schizophrenia research group and the Health Outcomes Research Unit (HORU) of the Division of Psychiatry II, the group is investigating the impact of disease and treatment on the subjective health status of chronically ill patients. The research includes methodological projects such as questionnaire development and more clinically oriented work including treatment evaluation. The group is also involved in the development of electronic tools, such as patient portals for questionnaire assessment.

Healthy Minds – Supporting new parents and infants”

Jean Paul

The Healthy Minds project aims to promote parents’ mental health during pregnancy and early parenthood and to close existing gaps in care. The focus is on improving the early detection of mental illness and on improving the access to support services in Tyrol, particularly in regions with limited resources. The aim is to offer those affected support at an early stage, to reduce stigma and to raise awareness of perinatal mental health. Through workshops with people with lived experience, professionals and researchers, we have designed an awareness campaign and a round table concept and will implement it in 2025. The project is based on a participatory approach that actively involves parents in the development and design of interventions to create culturally appropriate and effective solutions for affected families in the long term.

Age-Related Psychiatric Disorders

• Defrancesco M, Marksteiner J, Lenhart L, Klingler P, Steiger R, Gizewski ER, Goebel G, Deisenhammer EA, Scherfler C. Combined cognitive assessment and automated MRI volumetry improves the diagnostic accuracy of detecting MCI due to Alzheimer’s disease. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2025 Jan 10;136:111157. doi: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2024.111157. Epub 2024 Sep 29. PMID: 39349216.
• Defrancesco M, Gizewski ER, Mangesius S, Galijasevic M, Virgolini I, Kroiss A, Marksteiner J, Jehle J, Doganyigit B, Hofer A. Investigating patient eligibility for anti-amyloid monoclonal antibody treatment of Alzheimer’s disease: real-world data from an Austrian psychiatric memory clinic population. BJPsych Open. 2024 Sep 23;10(5):e160. doi: 10.1192/bjo.2024.747. PMID: 39308280; PMCID: PMC11457211.
• Defrancesco M, Post F, Hofer A, Jehle J. Psychological telephone triage system for outpatient memory clinics – a way for adaptation to new challenges of increasing dementia prevalence and new treatment options? Int J Clin Health Psychol. 2024 Oct-Dec;24(4):100530. doi: 10.1016/j.ijchp.2024.100530. Epub 2024 Dec 6. PMID: 39717614; PMCID: PMC11665686.
• Doganyigit B, Defrancesco M, Schurr T, Steiger R, Gizewski ER, Mangesius S, Galijasevic M, Hofer A, Tuovinen N. Temporal atrophy together with verbal encoding impairment is highly predictive for cognitive decline in typical Alzheimer’s dementia – a retrospective follow-up study. Front Psychiatry. 2024 Nov 19;15:1485620. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1485620. PMID: 39628497; PMCID: PMC11611803.
• Defrancesco M, Schurr TA, Hofer A. COVID-19 restrictions promoted the newly occurring loneliness in older people – a prospective study in a memory clinic population. Front Psychiatry. 2024 Mar 11;15:1340498. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1340498. PMID: 38528978; PMCID: PMC10961460.

Experimental Alzheimer’s Research

• Humpel, C. (2025) Long-term live-cell imaging of GFAP+ astroglia and laminin+ vessels in organotypic mouse brain slices using microcontact printing. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, section Cellular Neuropathology, in press.
• Steiner K, Yilmaz SN, Gern A, Marksteiner J, Faserl K, Villunger M, Sarg B, Humpel C (2024). From Organotypic Mouse Brain Slices to Human Alzheimer Plasma Biomarkers: A Focus on Microglia, Biomolecules14(9):1109. doi: 10.3390/biom14091109
• Korde DS and Humpel C (2024) A combination of heavy metals and intracellular pathway modulators induces Alzheimer disease-like pathologies in organotypic brain slices. Biomolecules. 2024 Jan 30;14(2):165. doi: 10.3390/biom14020165. PMID: 38397402
• Steiner K and Humpel C (2023) Long-term organotypic brain slices cultured on collagen-based microcontact prints: a perspective for a brain-on-a-chip, J Neurosci Methods. 1;399:109979. doi: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2023.109979.
• Zürcher C, Humpel C (2023) Saliva: A Challenging Human Fluid to Diagnose Brain Disorders with a Focus on Alzheimer’s Disease, Neural Regeneration Research, Review, Vol.18, Nr.12, p 2606, https://doi.org/10.4103/1673-5374.373675]

Clinical Research on Addiction / Substance dependence

• Verdejo-Garcia A, Rezapour T, Giddens E, Khojasteh Zonoozi A, Rafei P, Berry J, Caracuel A, Copersino ML, Field M, Garland EL, Lorenzetti V, Malloy-Diniz L, Manning V, Marceau EM, Pennington DL, Strickland JC, Wiers R, Fairhead R, Anderson A, Bell M, Boendermaker WJ, Brooks S, Bruno R, Campanella S, Cousijn J, Cox WM, Dean AC, Ersche KD, Franken I, Froeliger B, Gamito P, Gladwin TE, Goncalves PD, Houben K, Jacobus J, Jones A, Kaag AM, Lindenmeyer J, McGrath E, Nardo T, Oliveira J, Pennington CR, Perrykkad K, Piercy H, Rupp CI, Schulte MHJ, Squeglia LM, Staiger P, Stein DJ, Stein J, Stein M, Stoops WW, Sweeney M, Witkiewitz K, Woods SP, Yi R, Zhao M, Ekhtiari H. Cognitive training and remediation interventions for substance use disorders: a Delphi consensus study. Addiction. 2023 May;118(5):935-951. doi: 10.1111/add.16109.

Experimental Psychiatry

• Amaral IM, Ouaidat S, Scheffauer L, Granza AE, Monteiro DG, Salti A, Hofer A, El Rawas R Exploring the role of orexins in the modulation of social reward. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2025 Feb;242(2):401-412. PMID: 39302438; doi: 10.1007/s00213-024-06688-5. Epub 2024 Sep 20.
• Ouaidat S, Amaral IM, Monteiro DG, Harati H, Hofer A, El Rawas R. Orexins/Hypocretins: Gatekeepers of Social Interaction and Motivation. Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Feb 23;25(5):2609. doi: 10.3390/ijms25052609. PMID: 38473854 Free PMC article. Review.
• Granza AE, Amaral IM, Monteiro DG, Salti A, Hofer A, El Rawas R. Social Interaction Is Less Rewarding in Adult Female than in Male Mice.. Brain Sci. 2023 Oct 10;13(10):1445. doi: 10.3390/brainsci13101445. PMID: 37891813 Free PMC article.

Schizophrenia Research

• Post F, Schurr T, Frajo-Apor B, Tutzer F, Schmit A, Plattner B, Conca A, Fronthaler M, Haring C, Holzner B, Huber M, Marksteiner J, Miller C, Pardeller S, Perwanger V, Pycha R, Schmidt M, Sperner-Unterweger B, Hofer A.

The longitudinal course of psychological distress and resilience in patients with serious mental illnesses during the first two years of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Psychiatry Res. 2024 Sep;339:116064. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2024.116064. Epub 2024 Jun 27.

• Schmit A, Schurr T, Frajo-Apor B, Pardeller S, Plattner B, Tutzer F, Conca A, Fronthaler M, Haring C, Holzner B, Huber M, Marksteiner J, Miller C, Perwanger V, Pycha R, Schmidt M, Sperner-Unterweger B, Hofer A. Long-term impact of resilience and extraversion on psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal investigation among individuals with and without mental health disorders. Front Psychiatry. 2024 Feb 15;15:1304491. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1304491.
• Edlinger M, Brettbacher S, Schurr T, Yalcin-Siedentopf N, Hofer A.No gender differences in the pharmacological emergency treatment of schizophrenia: results of a 21-year observation. Int Clin Psychopharmacol. 2024 Jan 1;39(1):36-41. doi: 10.1097/YIC.0000000000000495.
• Tuovinen N, Hofer A. Resting-state functional MRI in treatment-resistant schizophrenia. Front Neuroimaging. 2023 Apr 6;2:1127508. doi: 10.3389/fnimg.2023.1127508.
• Winter-van Rossum I, Weiser M, Galderisi S, Leucht S, Bitter I, Glenthøj B, Hasan A, Luykx J, Kupchik M, Psota G, Rocca P, Stefanis N, Teitelbaum A, Bar Haim M, Leucht C, Kemmler G, Schurr T; EULAST Study Group; Davidson M, Kahn RS, Fleischhacker WW. Efficacy of oral versus long-acting antipsychotic treatment in patients with early-phase schizophrenia in Europe and Israel: a large-scale, open-label, randomised trial (EULAST). Lancet Psychiatry. 2023 Mar;10(3):197-208. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(23)00005-6

Affective Disorders and Suicidology

• Mauracher L, Serebriakova J, Niederstätter H, Parson W, Schurr T, Deisenhammer EA (2024) Subclinical hypomanic experiences in young adults after sleep deprivation are independent of depressive disorders, chronotype or 5-HTTLPR polymorphism. World Journal of Biological Psychiatry 25; 384-392.
• Kiebs M, Farrar DC, Yrondi A, Cardoner N, Tuovinen N, Redlich R, Dannlowski U, Soriano-Mas C, Dols A, Takamiya A, Tendolkar I, Narr KL, Espinoza R, Laroy M, van Eijndhoven P, Verwijk E, van Waarde J, Verdijk J, Maier HB, Nordanskog P, van Wingen G, van Diermen L, Emsell L, Bouckaert F, Repple J, Camprodon JA, Wade BSC, Donaldson KT, Oltedal L, Kessler U, Hammar Å, Sienaert P, Hebbrecht K, Urretavizcaya M, Belge JB, Argyelan M, Baradits M, Obbels J, Draganski B, Philipsen A, Sartorius A, Rhebergen D, Ousdal OT, Hurlemann R, McClintock S, Erhardt EB, Abbott C (2024) Electroconvulsive therapy and cognitive performance from the Global ECT MRI Research Collaboration. Journal of Psychiatric Research 179; 199-208.
• Pustilnik V, Heil M, Lederer W, Martini J, Mauracher L, Schurr T, Hoerner E, Edlinger M, Gasteiger L (in press) Neuromonitoring-guided anesthesia depth versus four-minute anesthesia-to-stimulation time interval in electroconvulsive therapy for depressive disorders – a single-blinded, prospective, randomized and controlled study. Journal of Affective Disorders.
• Serebriakova J, Kemmler G, Deisenhammer EA (2024) Proximal and distal factors distinguishing between individuals with suicidal ideation only and suicide attempters. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 212; 12-15.
• Deisenhammer EA, Kammerer K-L, Blasko I, Kemmler G (2024) Blood derived inflammatory markers in completed suicide: results from a case-control study. Psychiatria Danubina 36; 386-390.

Behavioural medicine and clinical psychology

• Xu RH, Wong EL, Luo N, Norman R, Lehmann J, Holzner B, King MT, Kemmler G; The EORTC QLU-C10D: the Hong Kong valuation study. EORTC QLG.Eur J Health Econ. 2024 Jul;25(5):889-901. doi: 10.1007/s10198-023-01632-4. Epub 2023 Sep 28.
• Rohde G, Lehmann J, Pilz MJ, Rojas-Concha L, Holzner B, King MT, Norman R, Kemmler G; Norwegian and Swedish value sets for the EORTC QLU-C10D utility instrument.

EORTC Quality of Life Group.Qual Life Res. 2024 Nov 5. doi: 10.1007/s11136-024-03824-8. Online ahead of print.

• Weiss EM, Staggl S, Holzner B, Rumpold G, Dresen V, Canazei M. Preventive Effect of a 7-Week App-Based Passive Psychoeducational Stress Management Program on Students.

Behav Sci (Basel). 2024 Feb 25;14(3):180. doi: 10.3390/bs14030180.

• Schöttl SE, Insam K, Frühauf A, Kopp-Wilfling P, Holzner B, Kopp M. Acute effects of outdoor and indoor walking on cigarette cravings, withdrawal symptoms and affective response during temporary smoking abstinence. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2024 Apr;241(4):739-752. doi: 10.1007/s00213-023-06506-4. Epub 2023 Nov 25.
• Schurr T, Frajo-Apor B, Pardeller S, Plattner B, Tutzer F, Schmit A, Conca A, Fronthaler M, Haring C, Holzner B, Huber M, Marksteiner J, Miller C, Perwanger V, Pycha R, Schmidt M, Sperner-Unterweger B, Hofer A. Overcoming times of crisis: unveiling coping strategies and mental health in a transnational general population sample during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. BMC Psychol. 2024 Sep 19;12(1):493. doi: 10.1186/s40359-024-02001-3.

Healthy Minds – Supporting new parents and infants

• Zechmeister-Koss, I. Perinatal and infant mental health care in Austria. A mapping report of existing prevention, screening and care structures with a specific focus on Tyrol. AIHTA Project Report No. 151. 2023. Vienna: HTA Austria – Austrian Institute for Health Technology Assessment GmbH.
• Zechmeister-Koss I, Hörtnagl C, Lampe A, Paul J. Perinatal and infant mental health care in Austria. Neuropsychiatr (2024). doi: 10.1007/s40211-024-00516-0
• Hölzle L, Schöch P, Hörtnagl C, Buchheim A, Lampe A, Zechmeister-Koss I, Paul JL (2024) Identifying and synthesizing components of perinatal mental health peer support – a systematic review. Front. Psychiatry 15:1389545. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1389545
• Schöch P, Hölzle L, Lampe A, Hörtnagl C, Zechmeister-Koss I, Buchheim A, Paul JL (2024) Towards effective screening for paternal perinatal mental illness: a meta-review of instruments and research gaps. Front. Public Health. 12:1393729. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1393729
• Zechmeister-Koss, I., Kern, J., Edlinger, M., Hörtnagl, C., Lampe, A., Buchheim, A., Paul, J., Uptake of mental health benefits in women before and during the perinatal period in Austria: An analysis of health insurance data, 21 February 2024, BMC Health Services Research, PREPRINT (Version 1) available at Research Square [https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3908813/v1]

Österreichische Forschungsförderungsgesellschaft (FFG]

Dr. Johannes und Hertha Tuba Forschungsförderung

Austrian Alzheimer Association

Austrian Alzheimer Association

Olga Valverde, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain

Agnieszka Nikiforuk, Maj Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland

European Group of Research in Schizophrenia

Birgit Derntl, University of Tübingen, Germany

Hiroyuki Uchida, Keio University, Tokio, Japan

GEMRIC (Global ECT-MRI Research Collaboration)

Dr. Alain Gregoire, Maternal Mental Health Alliance, UK

Prof. Dr. Gillian Mulvale, DeGroote School of Business der McMaster University, Ontario, Canada

Prof Joanne Nicholson, Brandeis University, USA