Official position
Director, Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Director, Department of Cognitive Neurology, Leipzig University Hospital, Professor of Cognitive Neurology, Leipzig University, Spokesperson, (national) Max Planck School of Cognition, Director, MindBrainInstitute @Berlin School of Mind and Brain
Institution
Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig
Leipzig University Hospital, Leipzig University
MindBrainInstitute @Berlin School of Mind and Brain
Business address
Stephanstr. 1a
04103 Leipzig
Academic education and degrees
1977 - 1984 | Medical School, Albert Ludwig University Freiburg, Germany |
1987 | Doctorate in Molecular Biology (supervisor Professor Dr P.C. Heinrich), M.D., Albert Ludwig University Freiburg, Germany (summa cum laude) |
1992 | Board Certification in Neurology |
1994 | Habilitation in Neurology (mentors Prof. Dr. Karl M. Einhäupl, Professor Dr Thomas Brandt), Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Germany |
Professional career
1980 - 1981 |
Experimental work for MD thesis Albert Ludwig University Freiburg, Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology Laboratory of Professor Dr P. C. Heinrich, Germany: |
1985 |
Postdoc at NMR Unit, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA: Fellow at NMR Unit. With Professor Dr Bruce Rosen and Professor Dr Tom Brady |
1986 - 1988, 1989 - 1992
| Resident at Department of Neurology, Klinikum Großhadern, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich (Professor Dr Th. Brandt) |
1989 | Resident at Department of Psychiatry, Ludwig-Maximilian University Munich (Professor Dr H. Hippius) |
1992 - 1993 | Research & Clinical Fellow, Department of Neurology, Klinikum Großhadern, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich (Professor Dr Th. Brandt) |
1993 - 1996 | Consultant Physician (Oberarzt), Department of Neurology, Charité University Medicine Berlin (Professor Dr Karl M. Einhäupl) |
1996 - 2004 | Vice Chairman, Department of Neurology, Charité University Medicine Berlin (Chairman Professor Dr Karl M. Einhäupl) |
1996 - 2007 | C3 Professor of Neurology, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Dep. Neurology |
1999 - 2004 | Clinical supervisor of 30-bed neurology clinic, Campus Virchow, Charité University Medicine Berlin |
2004 - 2007 | Head of 53-bed neurology clinic, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Charité University Medicine |
Since 2006 | Founding Director, Academic Director Berlin School of Mind and Brain (funded within German Excellence Initiative) |
Since 2007 | Director and Scientific Member, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Germany |
Since 2007 | Director, Clinic of Cognitive Neurology, Leipzig University Hospital |
Since 2008 | Honorary Professor at Charité University Medicine Berlin |
Since 2009 | Director, MindBrainBody Institute @ Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-University |
Since 2009 | Professor for Cognitive Neurology, Leipzig University |
Since 2016 | Adjunct Professor, Medical University of Vienna, Austria |
Since 2018 | Founder and Spokesperson, (national) Max Planck School of Cognition |
Honors, awards and positions
1993 | Gerhard Hess Prize (German Research Organization) |
1996 | Endowed Professorship ("C3", DFG) as head of clinical research group (New methods for noninvasive functional brain assessment) |
1999 | Winner in national competition for nine national competence networks (Coordinator of nation-wide competence network stroke) |
1999 - 2003 | Program-Committee of International Organisation for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM) (1999- 2003, Chair 2001-2002) |
2002 | Winner in national competition for five Neuroimaging Centers in Germany (as coordinator of Berlin NeuroImaging Center) |
2006 | Winner in national Excellency Program Competition (as lead-PI and Speaker of "Berlin School of Mind and Brain") |
2005 - 2008 | Council Member, International Organisation for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM) (2005-2008, 2006-2007: Treasurer) |
2005 | Pater Leander Fischer Prize of German Laser Society |
2011 | Member of "Wissenschaftliche Kommission" of the State Lower Saxony (Evaluation of Göttingen Medical Faculty) |
2012 | Chair of Evaluation Commission for Austrian Clinical Neurosciences |
2013 - 2016 | Supervisory board of Humboldt Graduate School, Humboldt-Universität Berlin |
Since 2014 | Advisory Board: BioTechMed Graz, Austria (program of 3 universities) |
Since 2014 | Deputy Director,
Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Aging Research |
Since 2016 | Adjunct Professor at
Medical University of Vienna, Austria |
| |
1996 – 2002 | Lead PI and Coordinator: Clinical Research Group (DFG): New Methods for Noninvasive Diagnostics of the Brain |
Since 1999 | Coordinator:
German Competence Network Stroke, Berlin (BMBF) |
2000 - 2008 | Lead PI and coordinator: Berlin NeuroImaging Center (BMBF) |
Since 2008 | Board of Directors:
Leipziger Forschungszentrum für Zivilisationskrankheiten [Leipzig Research Center for Civilization Diseases] (LIFE) |
Since 2010 | PI (Board of Directors 2013-2016)
Integrated Research and Treatment Center (IFB) Adiposity Diseases |
Since 2011 | Deputy Director:
Research Initiative MPS-UCL Max Planck Center: ComputationalPsychiatry and Aging Research |
2012 - 2019 | PI: NeuroCure, Research Cluster of Excellence (German Excellence Initiative), Berlin, Germany |
Since 2013 | Steering Committee:
Collaborative Research Center (CRC, “Sonderforschungsbereich” )Obesity Mechanism, Leipzig, Germany |
2005 - present | International
Max Planck Research School on the Life Course, Berlin |
2006 - present | Spokesperson,
Berlin School of Mind & Brain, Germany |
2013 - 2020 2020 - present
| Spokesperson,International Max Planck Research School NeuroCom Member of Faculty |
2016 - present | Einstein Center Neurosciences (Berlin) |
2018 - present | Spokesperson national
Max Planck School of Cognition |
2010 - 2018 |
Max Planck International Research Network on Aging (MaxNetAging), Rostock, Germany: Faculty Member |
2018 - present | International Max Planck Research School COMP2PSYCH |
2018 - present | Research Training Group 2386, Extrospection. External Access to Higher Cognitive Processes |
Current Journal Editorial positions
Since 2004 | Editorial Board: Neurodegenerative Diseases |
Since 2017 |
Editorial Board: Brain and Neuroscience Advances |
Since 2020 |
Review Editor: Frontiers in Neuroenergetics, Nutrition and Brain Health |
10 most important peer-reviewed papers (10 out of 556, Scopus h-index: 85)
Al E, Iliopoulos F, Forschack N, Nierhaus T, Grund M, Motyka P, Gaebler M, Nikulin VV, Villringer A (2020). Heart-brain interactions shape somatosensory perception and evoked potentials. Proc Natl Acad Sci 27:201915629.
Mueller K, Thiel F, Beutner F, Teren A, Frisch S, Ballarini T, Möller HE, Ihle K, Thiery J, Schuler G, Villringer A, Schroeter ML (2020). Brain Damage With Heart Failure: Cardiac Biomarker Alterations and Gray Matter Decline. Circ Res 126:750-764.
Schaare HL, Kharabian Masouleh S, Beyer F, Kumral D, Uhlig M, Reinelt JD, Reiter AMF, Lampe L, Babayan A, Erbey M, Roebbig J, Schroeter ML, Okon-Singer H, Müller K, Mendes N, Margulies DS, Witte AV, Gaebler M, Villringer A (2019). Association of peripheral blood pres-sure with gray matter volume in 19- to 40-year-old adults. Neurology 92(8):e758-e773.
Lampe L, Zhang R, Beyer F, Huhn S, Kharabian Masouleh S, Preusser S, Bazin PL, Schroeter ML, Villringer A, Witte AV (2019). Visceral obesity relates to deep white matter hyperintensities via inflammation. Ann Neurol. 85:194-203.
Martins MJD, Krause C, Neville DA, Pino D, Villringer A, Obrig H (2019). Recursive hierarchical embedding in vision is impaired by posterior middle temporal gyrus lesions. Brain. 142:3217-3229.
Schlögl H, Horstmann A, Villringer A, Stumvoll M (2016). Functional neuroimaging in obesity and the potential for development of novel treatments. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 4:695-705.
Okon-Singer H, Mehnert J, Hoyer J, Hellrung L, Schaare HL, Dukart J, Villringer A (2014). Neural control of vascular reactions: impact of emotion and attention. J Neurosci 34:4251-9
Lv Y, Margulies DS, Cameron Craddock R, Long X, Winter B, Gierhake D, Endres M, Villringer K, Fiebach J, Villringer A. (2013) Identifying the perfusion deficit in acute stroke with resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Ann Neurol. 3:136-40.
Schlögl H, Kabisch S, Horstmann A, Lohmann G, Müller K, Lepsien J, Busse-Voigt F, Kratzsch J, Pleger B, Villringer A, Stumvoll M (2013). Exenatide-induced reduction in energy intake is associated with increase in hypothalamic connectivity. Diabetes Care 36:1933-40
Blankenburg F, Taskin B, Ruben J, Moosmann M, Ritter P, Curio G, Villringer A. (2003) Imperceptible Stimuli and Sensory Processing Impediment. Science. 299:1864.
Foto: MPI_2019