Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
Dr. Wolfgang Retz is Professor of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy and heads the Forensic Psychiatry and Psychotherapy section at the Mainz University Medical Center as well as the Institute for Forensic Psychology and Psychiatry at the Saarland University in Homburg/Saar. For many years he has been scientifically working on ADHD in adults and the significance of this developmental disorder for criminal behavior across the lifespan. He has published numerous scientific papers on the neurobiological and environmental architecture of aggressive behavior as well as the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD in adults. As a forensic psychiatrist, he is a respected expert in criminal proceedings and is involved in the interdisciplinary training of forensic psychiatrists and psychologists.
Projects
This project aims to identify
cognitive and emotion control deficits in the context of negative valence and threat interference and their association
with ACE in young offenders. Complementary to other projects, this project will focus on a group of young people
defined by their propensity to aggression showing at the same time more severe psychopathologies. In a series of studies
using multimodal imaging (EEG-fMRI, EEG-sMRI) in combination with naturalistic longitudinal follow-up (ecological
momentary assessment (EMA)) B02 will identify the neural mechanisms and predictors of self-regulation deficits as a
putative common developmental pathway for both, aggressive behavior, and psychopathology. Additionally, B02 will
seek to causally confirm neural network mechanisms of inhibitory control and emotion regulation deficits as the basis of
aggressive behavior and associated psychopathology by real-time EEG-triggered TMS-stimulation in young offenders.
Test the interaction of the CS and frustrative non-reward as part of the NVS. It will investigate the electrophysiological
correlates of frustrative feedback in aggression-prone patients. In the aftermath of induced stress, an EEG task-battery
including frustrative feedback will be applied for extraction of error-related negativity (ERN) and contingent negative
variation to monitor electro-physiologic signaling of the relevant learning and frustration processes. In half of the
participants, tDCS over the prefrontal cortex will be applied to enhance cognitive control, with participants being put into
a stress context inducing frustration.
Sites
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz offers a broad spectrum of academic
programs across various disciplines, emphasizing interdisciplinary research and
innovation. The university is known for its strong focus on fostering
creativity, cultural engagement, and international collaboration.
