News

Finally, we were able to meet for the first time since the project began in October. Almost 100 attendees were a testament to the scope of this project. And yet, in addition to the substantive work, the relationship with the new participants in the special research area in particular was established and further strengthened with the ‘old hands’. In addition to the presentation of all projects and the obligatory elections, the workshops on equal opportunities, Gitlab and the project’s data management concept were of central importance for future success.

The opportunity of the personal meeting on the day before the retreat was gladly taken to carry out the first pilot measurements across all locations together on the premises of the University Hospital Aachen in order to improve quality.

Christina Neczewicz (left) and Joris Burger (right), doctoral students of medicine at RWTH Aachen, visited the LVR-Klinik Viersen today together with Dr. Christiane Licht (centre). In a constructive exchange, we received positive feedback on the Q01 research project and are pleased to now officially begin the study on site.

Only two weeks from now we will all meet for our first TRR Retreat. But we will not only meet as a great team, but we will be honored to be joined and supported by our prominent Scientific Advisory Board, consisting of James Blair, Tom Denson, Kent Kiehl, Martin Rettenberger, Georg Starke and Essi Viding. Find more about these distinguished international researchers on a dedicated page.

We are looking forward to a fruitful and inspiring meeting of all new and old TRR379 members in Aachen on February 13-15. It is a great chance and responsibility for us, to work together on a topic that is more relevant than ever, looking at the recent sad and terrible events. Our first meeting will be an impactful start towards the challenges that lie ahead of us. We aim to build a network, and a strong, joint force for pushing our projects forward. We are welcoming you all in Aachen, and especially our guests from our Scientific Advisory Board.

At this year’s congress of the German Society for Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics (DGPPN), the spokesperson for the Collaborative Research Centre, Ute Habel, had the honour of not only presenting the topic ‘Aggression from a neuroscientific perspective’ as a ‘top speaker 2024’. She also took the opportunity to present the research programme of the SFB TRR 379 at the very well-attended congress. In addition, Christine Freitag, Christian Schmahl and David Slattery, three scientists from the SFB TRR, were able to present the phenotypes and neurobiological basis of aggression in mental illness in a symposium. They were joined by long-standing cooperation partner Thomas Nickl-Jockschat from Magdeburg at this very well-attended event.

After many years of preparation, the wait is finally over. The first funding period of the TRR379 begins on 1 October 2024. Everyone involved is working hard and with great enthusiasm to make this collaborative research centre a success.