Background
Addiction counts among the most common psychiatric disorders. A complex combination of biological, genetic, epigenetic, social, and psychological factors impacts patients' onset and progress.
Our group investigates various topics from addiction research. We take neurobiological as well as social aspects into consideration, such as stigma or delinquency. In addition to base research questions, we also carry out epidemiological and clinical studies.
Thereby, the focus of our interest is on physical dependencies (Alcohol, Nicotine, Medication, or illegal drugs) as well as psychological dependencies (internet and computer addiction, gambling).
We also cooperate with several departments both inside and outside of Hannover Medical School, such as the Department for Transplantation medicine (related to alcohol-induced liver transplantations), the Institute for Pathology, and the Department for Neurosurgery.
Aims of the research group
The overarching aim of our research is the identification of epigenetic markers for the outcome and course predictions for patients suffering from addiction disorders.
- Epigenetic alterations in volume and satiety regulating peptides for patients with alcohol or nicotine addiction during the detoxification treatment
- The role of the Microbiome for addiction disorders
- Development of psychiatric treatment regimen for patients with ethyltoxic liver cirrhosis
- Animal models for alcohol disorders
- Post mortem studies investigating the tissue-dependent regulation of essential Genes in addiction disorders
MHH-internal
- Cooperation with the Transplantation emergency unit (IFB-Tx funded project)
- Institute for Microbiology
- Institute for Legal Medicine
- Institute for Psychosomatic disorders
- Institute for Experimental Neurosurgery
- Institute for Clinical Chemistry
- Lab for Molecular Neuroscience
External
- Institute for Psychiatry from Minden- Lübecke
- Clinics for Addiction Research, Zentral Institut Mannheim
- Paracelsus Medical Private University, Nürnberg
03/2015: Internal Funding Initiative (HiLF): Functional characterization of the aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 promoter region in the neuronal context
08/2014: Internal Funding Initiative (HiLF): Research on the variability of the proopiomelanocortin promoter methylation followed by its derivative's consecutive expression, the alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone in an animal model for alcohol addiction.
2016-2017: IFB-TX (integrated science and treatment center transplantation) project CORE_10/SU-F05, funded by the BMBF (reference number 01EO0802)
09/2016: "Junior Investigator Award" awarded by the "International Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism" (ISBRA), "European Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism" (ESBRA), "Society for the Study of Addition" (SSA), and "Addiction
10/2016: Internal Funding Initiative (HiLF): Nicotine-induced changes in the methylation status of individual CpG islands and serum protein expression of the appetite and volume regulating peptides in the course of detoxification treatment of patients with nicotine dependency.
11/2016: Annual Stipendship of the Elke and Dr. Rolf Ecklebe Foundation: Research of epigenetic mechanisms contributing to Alzheimer's disease's development via disturbance of the vitamin and homocysteine metabolism in a cell culture model.
04/2018: Award of the Northern Germany Addiction Foundation (NSF e.V.) for scientific contributions in the field of addiction medicine.
Research group members
Research group leaders
Prof. Dr. med. Alexander Glahn
Executive Senior Physician
glahn.alexander@mh-hannover.de, Curriculum Vitae
Excellence:
- Active contribution to the S3 Guide "medication-related disorders"
- Active contribution to the S3 Guide "psychosocial diagnostics and treatment of patients before and after transplantation"
Publications: Pubmed
PD Dr. med. Marc Andre Nicolas Muschler
Medical Specialist
Excellence: Membership German Society for Biological Psychiatry (DGBP)
Publications: Pubmed
Mathias Rhein, PhD
PostDoc
Exzcllence:
- Protein biochemistry
- Epigenetics
- Investigations of alcohol addiction and other physical dependencies
- Regulation of gene expression in blood and brain
Publications: Pubmed
Prof. Dr. med. Thomas Hillemacher
Medical Director of the University Clinics for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at Paracelsus Medical Private University Nuremberg
Telefon: 0911 398 2830, Telefax: 0911 398 3965
thomas.hillemacher@klinikum-nuernberg.de
Excellence:
- Substance-dependent and -independent addictions
- Clinical and biological research in the context of various addiction diseases
- Member of many associated Specialist Societies
Publications: Pubmed
Go to Klinikum Nuernberg Nord
proskynitopoulos.phileas@mh-hannover.de
Research focus:
- Epigenetic foundations of alcohol and nicotine addiction
- The role of the Microbiome in alcohol addiction and depression disorders
- Psychiatric treatment and Care for patients with alcohol addiction before and after liver transplantation
- Psychocardiology
Excellence at a glance:
- Liver transplantation for alcohol use disorder
- Leptin and oxytocin in addiction
Publications: Pubmed
elena.buss@stud.mh-hannover.de
Research focus:
- Epigenetics of alcohol addiction (particularly the role of ALDH2)
- Cardiovascular risk of psychiatric diseases with particular focus on addiction
Excellence at a glance:
- Member of DGPPN
- Students' representative/leader of the Eurotransplant liaison office at MHH
jannis.molks@stud.mh-hannover.de
Research focus:
- Microbiome
- Brain-Gut-Axis (changes in the microbiome of alcohol-dependent patients during the course of inpatient detoxification)
christian.sperling@stud.mh-hannover.de
Title of the MD thesis: "Neurobiologische Veränderungen während der Entgiftungsbehandlung bei alkoholabhängigen Patienten: Untersuchung der epigenetischen Enzymregulation des AVP"
(engl.: "Neurobiological changes during detoxification treatment in alcohol-dependent patients: Investigation of epigenetic enzyme regulation of AVP")
Research focus:
- Epigenetic analyses via Sanger-/NGS-/Nanopore Sequencing
- Molecular biology of addictive disorders
Excellence at a glance:
- Alumna of the German Academic Scholarship Foundation (stipend 2013-2020)