Research Areas

Coming from research into endophenotypes of schizophrenia and affective disorders, I have dedicated my work to establishing basic research technologies in the department. We are now doing research on the fields of molecular genetics, receptor functions and animal behaviour models on the one side and neuroimaging in combination with experimental psychological research on the other (over 80 research reports published per year). After retiring from management positions at the University Hopital and the faculty, I am now again personally engaged in research on cognitive and emotional processing linked to immune functions and genetics in affective disorders and schizophrenia.

Selected Publications

Sehlmeyer C, Dannlowski U, Schöning S, Kugel H, Pyka M, Pfleiderer B, Zwitserlood P, Schiffbauer H, Heindel W, Arolt V, Konrad C. Neural correlates of trait anxiety in fear extinction. Psychol Med. 2011 Apr;41(4):789-98.

Behnken A, Schöning S, Gerss J, Konrad C, de Jong-Meyer R, Zwanzger P, Arolt V. Persistent non-verbal memory impairment in remitted major depression – caused by encoding deficits? J Affect Disord. 2010 Apr;122(1-2):144-8.

Dannlowski U, Konrad C, Kugel H, Zwitserlood P, Domschke K, Schöning S, Ohrmann P, Bauer J, Pyka M, Hohoff C, Zhang W, Baune BT, Heindel W, Arolt V, Suslow T. Emotion specific modulation of automatic amygdala responses by 5-HTTLPR genotype. Neuroimage. 2010 Nov 15;53(3):893-8.

Kersting A, Ohrmann P, Pedersen A, Kroker K, Samberg D, Bauer J, Kugel H, Koelkebeck K, Steinhard J, Heindel W, Arolt V, Suslow T. Neural activation underlying acute grief in women after the loss of an unborn child. Am J Psychiatry. 2009 Dec;166(12):1402-10.

Rothermundt M, Falkai P, Ponath G, Abel S, Bürkle H, Diedrich M, Hetzel G, Peters M, Siegmund A, Pedersen A, Maier W, Schramm J, Suslow T, Ohrmann P, Arolt V. Glial cell dysfunction in schizophrenia indicated by increased S100B in the CSF. Mol Psychiatry. 2004 Oct;9(10):897-9.

Arolt V, Rothermundt M, Wandinger KP, Kirchner H. Decreased in vitro production of interferon-gamma and interleukin-2 in whole blood of patients with schizophrenia during treatment. Mol Psychiatry. 2000 Mar;5(2):150-8.

Arolt V, Rothermundt M, Peters M, Leonard B. Immunological research in clinical psychiatry: report on the consensus debate during the 7th Expert Meeting on Psychiatry and Immunology. Mol Psychiatry. 2002;7(8):822-6.

Academic CV

1979 M.D. University of Hamburg, Faculty of Medicine
1980-1981 Military Service (Medical Officer, Captain)
1981-1986 Specialist training in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy    Department of Psychiatry and Department of Neurology at Lübeck University Hospital and Center for Psychiatry, Neurology and Rehabilitation
1986 Specialist degree in Psychiatry
1986-1988 Studies of Sociology and Philosophy at the University of Hamburg, Special Training in Methods of Empirical Social Research (B.Sc.)
1987-1988 Consultation/Liaison Psychiatrist, St. Mary´s Hospital Hamburg
1987-1988 Researcher at the Institute for Sexual Disorders Christian-Albrechts-University, Kiel
1988 Senior House Officer at Department of  Psychiatry University of Lübeck
1989 Vice Chairman at Department of Psychiatry University of Lübeck
1990 Specialist degree in „Psychotherapy"
1995 Habilitation in Psychiatry, Associate Professor
1998 Specialist Degree in Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy
1998 Specialist Degree in Psychoanalysis
1998 Full Professor („C4“) of Psychiatry and Head of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Münster
2006 Specialist Degree in Forensic Psychiatry

Administration

2004-2006 Deputy Medical Director, Vice CEO University Hospital Münster
2006 Acting Medical Director (CEO) University Hospital Münster
2006-2008 Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Münster