International Graduate School of Neuroscience

Research Interests

I have been interested in social cognition in psychosis and in personality disorders, the association of social cognition with social functioning and nonverbal behavior, nonverbal interaction in therapeutic settings, genetics and epigenetics involved in social interaction, and psychopathology in nonhuman animals. I also have a special interest in the impact of inflammatory diseases on social cognition and social behavior, as well as in somatic comorbidity in psychiatric disorders.

Generally, my research approach is grounded in evolutionary theory, that is, how and why cognition, emotion and behavior in psychiatric conditions relate to (mal-)adaptive function of psychological traits. In addition, I also had a special interest in game-theoretical approaches to the understanding of higher social cognitive processes, including revenge, altruistic punishment and the perception of fairness in people with psychiatric disorders. With regard to evolutionary aspects, I have been particularly interested in Life History Theory, and its application in psychiatry, especially how psychiatric conditions can be understood as a consequence of early adversity that shape individuals’ expectations concerning resource availability, and how this impacts actual behavior.

I have also had a keen interest in psychiatric conditions in nonhuman animals, the role of attachment and hormonal activity in relation to attachment (foremost the role of oxytocin) and human-animal interaction in therapeutic settings.