Computational methods and machine learning are currently THE hot-topics and they are also applied in neuroscience research, showing us where the field is heading in the future. If you have ever wondered how these methods work, what their advantages - but also limitations - are and how they are implemented in research on women's mental health: We got you!

In this episode Franziska is hosting Tobias Kaufmann, professor of neurotechnology and computational psychiatry at the University of Tübingen, who is also part of the IRTG2804. Tobias explains the basics of computational methods and gives us concrete examples of his own work, providing a first glimpse into the computational world. Also, we hear about his new ERC project: "HealthyMom: Modeling and maintaining maternal mental health".

Timestamps:

00:25 Introduction

01:18 Computational psychiatry: Advantages & limitations

10:15 Tobias' computational methods & examples: Prediction & classification models

21:14 Computational methods in women's (mental) health: Focus on adolescence

30:11 HealthyMom Project: Brain plasticity during pregnancy loss

40:26 Recruitment information for Healthy Mom Study

41:30 Summary

43:40 Next steps in computational psychiatry and women's mental health

Website to Kaufmann Lab: https://www.kaufmannlab.org/

About the HealthyMom Project: https://www.kaufmannlab.org/post/20230202-erc-consolidator-grant/

References:

• Population-based neuroimaging reveals traces of childbirth in the maternal brain (de Lange, Kaufmann et al., 2019). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1910666116
• Menarche, pubertal timing and the brain: female-specific patterns of brain maturation beyond age-related development (Gottschwesky, Kraft, & Kaufmann, 2024). https://bsd.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13293-024-00604-4
• Domain adapted brain network fusion captures variance related to pubertal brain development and mental health (Kraft, Alnaes, & Kaufmann, 2023). https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-41839-w
• Modeling brain sex in the limbic system as phenotype for female-prevalent mental disorders (Matte Bon, Kraft, Comasco, Derntl, & Kaufmann, 2024). https://bsd.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13293-024-00615-1

Outline & questions: Franziska Weinmar & Gloria Matte Bon

Sound recording: Franziska Weinmar with the equipment of the IRTG2804

Editing: Franziska Weinmar

Do you have any feedback, suggestions, or questions? Get in touch with us: [email protected]

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Celebrate with us the first anniversary episode of Let's Talk About Women!! - This time as PhD Candidate Franziska is hosting Dr. Nicole Petersen, Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA, California. Directing the Translational Neuroimaging Lab, Nicole's research focuses on neuromodulation and neuroendocrinology. Amongst others, she has investigated the effects of the menstrual cycle and oral contraceptives on brain and behavior.

In this episode, Nicole explains what "SHAPERs" are and what we know about their effects on the brain - but also what gaps there are still today. As one of the founding chairs of the ENIGMA Consortium for Neuroendocrinology, Nicole introduces the idea of ENIGMA and the working group and explains how this can contribute to rigorous studies, which will allow us to address exactly these knowledge gaps. 

Timestamps:

02:00 - Introduction of our guest Dr. Nicole Petersen and her field of research

02:30 - Explaining underlying concepts: What are hormones?

04:22 - Do sex hormones have functions beyond reproduction?

05:44 - The acronym SHAPERs & how it emphasizes on the dual role of sex hormones

08:38 - How are sex hormones associated with specific psychological aspects?

10:29 - Example: The influence of sensitivity to sex hormones on emotions

12:26 - Mysteries in neuroscience: How exactly are psychological conditions related to sex hormones?

14:18 - Why are some women more sensitive to hormones & mental health disorders?

17:20 - What does research say about the effects of SHAPERs on the brain?

23:20 - Is it especially important to investigate SHAPERs in women?

26:44 - The ENIGMA Neuroendocrinology consortium: aims & how to join!

34:26 - Summary

36:20 – Future directions in research & next steps for investigating women’s mental health

41:09 – Closing remarks

Website to the ENIGMA consortium: https://enigma.ini.usc.edu/

Website to the ENIGMA Neuroendocrinology workgroup: https://enigma.ini.usc.edu/ongoing/enigma-neuroendocrinology/

If you would like to get in touch with Nicole, you can reach her at: [email protected]

... or find her research group here: https://www.translational-neuroimaging.com/home

Sound recording: Franziska Weinmar with the equipment of the IRTG2804

Editing: Franziska Weinmar

Do you have any feedback, suggestions, or questions? Get in touch with us: [email protected]

Are you intrigued by this topic and want to be kept updated? Follow us on twitter: @irtg2804 or instagram: @irtg2804

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Welcome to this episode with Vibe Froekjaer, Professor in Neuropsychiatry at the Department of Clinical Medicine, Copenhagen University, Denmark.

Join us as Vibe and Franziska delve into the question of why some women are more vulnerable to mental health problems during hormonal transitions, unraveling state of the art research on the hypothesis of “hormonal sensitivity”. From discussing the latest findings on genetic and neural mechanisms to the potential of psychoeducation, this episode promises an insightful conversation and valuable takeaways. Discover how understanding hormonal sensitivity can empower women to navigate their mental health journeys more effectively and hear Vibe sharing her vision on the final question: “What is the next question to solve regarding hormonal sensitivity across the female lifespan – and how could we do so?”

Timestamps:

00:02:10 - The "3 P's" across the female lifespan: puberty, pregnancy & perimenopause

00:08:02 - Incidence of mental health problems across the female lifespan: windows of vulnerability?

00:09:14 - Why are some women more prone to suffer from hormone-related mental health problems?

00:16:57 - Hormonal-related depressive symptoms and the role of serotonin

00:19:26 - Hormone variability and gene expression

00:26:12 - Large-scale changes in the brain in response to induced hormone variability

00:29:02 - Hormonal manipulation effects on reward responses

00:33:41 - Is hormonal sensitivity a phenomenon that translates across the lifespan?

00:42:03 - What epidemiological data from Denmark tell us about risks for depressive symptoms across transition years

00:44:00 - Can we identify women who are hormone sensitive?

00:47:41 - What could be preventive and treatment approaches for women identified as hormone-sensitive before hormonal transition phases?

00:52:56 - How the concept of hormonal sensitivity can reduce stigma involved in depressive symptoms and empower women

00:56:03 - Summary

00:58:41 - What is the next question to solve regarding hormonal sensitivity across the female lifespan – and how could we do so?

01:03:50 - Closing remarks

Sound recording: Franziska Weinmar with the equipment of the IRTG2804

Editing: Franziska Weinmar

Do you have any feedback, suggestions, or questions? Get in touch with us: [email protected]

Are you intrigued by this topic and want to be kept updated? Follow us on twitter: @irtg2804 or instagram: @irtg2804

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In this episode, PhD candidate Franziska Weinmar interviews Dr. Adriene Beltz, visiting Tübingen from the University of Michigan. The topic of today’s episode are hormonal intrauterine devices, short IUD. From contraceptives beyond the “pill” and hormonal contraceptive trends worldwide, they discuss how the IUD works, why it is important to look at potential effects of IUDs separately from oral contraceptives and what research there is on the IUD and mental health as well as the brain. Further, they discuss how a specific method of research, “intense longitudinal data”, can help understand individual variability within people to do better science and go towards individualized medicine. 

Timestamps:

01:30 Hormonal contraceptives beyond the “pill”

05:00 Trends in contraception worldwide / by age

06:45: How does the hormonal IUD work?

08:15: Hormonal levels in IUDs

10:30 Systemic IUD effects?

12:30 Combining OC and IUD in research?

15:00 IUDs in neuroscience research and types of progestins

23:10 IUD & the brain

25:50 Why is it so important to investigate hormonal contraceptives and IUDs specifically?

29:30: Summary

34:00 Outlook with focus on methods

37:30 Intense longitudinal data – what is it and why is it important

40:00 Paths to individualized medicine?

42:00 Diversity in research via intensive longitiudinal data

45:00 Summary and teaser for future episodes on stress & the IUD

Many thanks to Zoé Bürger for contributing to this episode!

Sound recording: Franziska Weinmar with the equipment of the IRTG2804

Editing: Franziska Weinmar

Do you have any feedback, suggestions, or questions? Get in touch with us: [email protected]

Are you intrigued by this topic and want to be kept updated? Follow us on twitter: @irtg2804 or instagram: @irtg2804

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Welcome to a special episode, coming to you live and on-site from the Lorentz Center in Leiden, the Netherlands!

The Lorentz Center serves as a dynamic workshop hub, hosting international scientific meetings which bring together brilliant minds and foster an open and interactive atmosphere. 

In this episode, PhD Candidate Franziska Weinmar is taking you directly to the Lorentz workshop on "Hormonal fluctuations across the female lifespan". With 40 participants including researchers and clinicians from approximately 6 countries, this five-day intensive gathering in February 2024 promises lively exchanges, discussions, and reflections.

Join Franziska as she takes you through a series of 9 conversations, capturing the very fresh impressions and thoughts from different participants. Get ready to hear the pulse of the workshop, where ideas converge and minds collide – all in pursuit to move the field of research and clinical practice forward. And stay tuned for the announced outcomes! 

Speakers, in order of appearance:

00:01:38: Ellen de Bruijn, Professor, Leiden University

00:10:19: Birit Broekman, Medical Specialist, Amsterdam UMC

00:15:33: Anne Marieke Doornweerd, PhD Candidate, Utrecht University

00:27:25: Klara Sifalakis-Spalek, Postdoctoral Researcher, Amsterdam UMC

00:34:36: Alkistis Skalkidou, Professor, Uppsala University

00:40:12: Lotte Gerritsen, Associate Professor, Utrecht University

00:46:4: Hanna Wierenga, PhD Candidate, IRTG 2804, University of Tübingen

00:52:50: Claudia Barth, PhD, Diakonhjemmet Hospital Oslo

01:03:09: Birgit Derntl, Professor, IRTG 2804, University of Tübingen

01:12:10 Closing Remarks

Many thanks to the Lorentz Center for providing the space and opportunity for this workshop!

Sound recording: Franziska Weinmar with the equipment of the IRTG2804

Editing: Franziska Weinmar

Follow the FLAME (Female Lifespan Association for Mental Health and Neuroendocrinology) for future updates: https://www.linkedin.com/company/female-lifespan-research-initiative?trk=public_post-text

Do you have any feedback, suggestions, or questions? Get in touch with us: [email protected]

Are you intrigued by this topic and want to be kept updated? Follow us on twitter: @irtg2804 or instagram: @irtg2804

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Tune in to this episode for an enlightening conversation on the profound transformations of the brain in transition to mother- and parenthood: PhD candidate Franziska is interviewing Dr. Magdalena Martínez-García, researcher in the “Neuromaternal” group in Madrid. Using longitudinal neuroimaging studies, she and her team investigate structural and functional neuroplasticity across different stages of pregnancy and beyond. Don't miss out and join us when we dive into how (and why) both the maternal and paternal/parental brains are shaped by pregnancy, experience as well as time shared with the offspring.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction 

01:44 What happens during pregnancy within the mother's body?

04:00 What is neuroplasticity?

06:05 Neuroplasticity during pregnancy

18:18 Do pregnancy-related changes in the brain reverse?

23:35 Why does the brain of mothers-to-be change?

27:20 Why we should NOT be scared of pregnancy-related neuroplasticity and brain volume shrinkage!

32:02 What are neural plasticity mechanisms during pregnancy in human mothers?

37:01 Research on brains of fathers and parents

42:03 Time spent with the child matters: experience-induced plasticity

43:46 What is the importance of research on the parental brain?

47:20 Summary 

50:25 The next step in research on neuroplasticity of peripartum and parenthood

Many thanks to Julia Siódmiak for contributing to this episode!

Sound recording: Franziska Weinmar with the equipment of the IRTG2804

Editing: Franziska Weinmar

Do you have any feedback, suggestions, or questions? Get in touch with us: [email protected]

Are you intrigued by this topic and want to be kept updated? Follow us on twitter: @irtg2804 or instagram: @irtg2804

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With our first episode in 2024, we are back and ready to talk about stress and stress regulation! In this episode PhD candidate Franziska Weinmar hosts Dr. Lydia Kogler, a clinical psychologist by training, expert on the neuroscience of stress and associate of the IRTG2804. Together they dive into the complex world of stress and stress regulation - especially if and how women and men differ in this regard. To this end, this episode leaves us with more insights, a suggestion on how to improve our resilience to stress, and curiosity for future talks on this topic!

Stress is part of our everyday life. But what does stress mean and how does the body react to stress? In this episode Lydia explains:

01:21: What is stress? (01:21)

05:30: How does the stress response leads to behavioural and endocrine adaptations?

08:28: The role of cortisol

11:49: How do we induce stress in the lab?

14:22: What neurological changes come with stress?

15:34: How chronic stress affects the body...

18:58: ... and mental health

Next, Lydia talks about sex/gender differences:

22:58: Sex differences in the stress response...

26:25: ... its neural basis....

27:17: ... and psychological effects

28:00 Sex differences in stress related disorders

30:18: Reasons behind sex differences

33:50: Consequences of sex differences in stress response

35:15: Why is it important to look into sex differences?

39:24: Mechanisms of stress regulation

44:49: How self-esteem influences the stress response

49:00: Sex differences on a neuronal level...

50:03: ... and a hormonal level

50:18: Implications of coping mechanisms

52:00: Summary

54:57: What is the next question to ask about sex/gender differences in stress response or regulation, especially considering female-specific processes? 

Many thanks to Anna Denninger for contributing to this episode!

Sound recording: Franziska Weinmar with the equipment of the IRTG2804

Editing: Franziska Weinmar

Do you have any feedback, suggestions, or questions? Get in touch with us: [email protected]

Are you intrigued by this topic and want to be kept updated? Follow us on twitter: @irtg2804 or instagram: @irtg2804

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In this episode, we're hosting cognitive neuroscientist Prof. Sara Mednick who is visiting Tübingen all the way from the University of California, Irvine. Being an expert in biorhythms, she explains the importance of natural up- and downstates such as related to sleep, the menstrual cycle and the transition to menopause. What are biorythms and how can we use especially downstates to improve our wellbeing? How can we use the knowledge on hormonal changes to balance our mood and cognition? Sara is here to give us a new perspective on our natural rhythms!

Timestamps:

01:30 What are biorythms?

03:31: What is the power of downstates?

06:42: How can we use biorythms & downstates for our wellbeing & cognition?

08:00: Sleep as restorative downstate

12:40: What is the menstrual cycle?

14:32: How does the menstrual cycle affect other biorythms?

15:50: Sleep as mood buffer during the menstural cylce

21:40: A change in prespective on the menstrual cylce

30:40: Changes in sleep in the transition to menopause

34:22: Subjective vs. objective measures of sleep & cognition

39:45: Wellbeing during (the transition) to menopause

42:53: Summary

44:40: A future vision for women's mental health: awareness, reseach & empowerement.

Sara's popular-scientific books: https://www.saramednick.com/books

• "The Power of the Downstate: Recharge Your Life Using Your Body's Own Restorative Systems" (2022)
• "Take a Nap! Change Your Life. The Scientific Plan to Make You Smarter, Healthier, More Productive" (2006)

Thanks to Nina Röhm for supporting & exchanging ideas in preparation of this episode!

Sound recording: Nina Röhm with the equipment of the IRTG2804

Editing: Franziska Weinmar

Do you have any feedback, suggestions, or questions? Get in touch with us: [email protected]

Are you intrigued by this topic and want to be kept updated? Follow us on twitter: @irtg2804 or instagram: @irtg2804

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In this episode we talk about one of the major transition periods many women will undergo throughout their life: pregnancy. How does the field of psych-neuro-immunology help us to understand pregnancy and related mental health problems?  

From Uppsala in Sweden, PhD Candidate Franziska Weinmar is interviewing Dr. Emma Fransson, a child psychologist and associate professor at Uppsala University and at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. 

Emma’s research focuses on mental and reproductive health, specifically in identifying biomarkers for pregnancy-related complications. These include mental health problems such as postpartum depression, which is affecting up to one in five women after giving birth.  

Dive with us into the interactions of the immune system, the brain, and psychological wellbeing, as we outline what is happening during pregnancy, what makes some women vulnerable for depression associated to pregnancy, and how we can use this information in the future. 

Timestamps:

01:30 What happens during pregnancy? 

05:10 What is “psycho-neuro-immunology”?

07:35 Pregnancy as a psycho-neuro-immunological transition phase 

09:05 What factors contribute to postpartum depression? 

11:55 Major depression and postpartum depression: Differences and subtypes? 

14:50 Inflammatory markers during pregnancy: Risk for postpartum depression?

18:15 Predictive markers for postpartum depression? 

20:40 Screening and prediction of depressive symptoms across the postpartum period 

25:45 Preventive approaches of postpartum depression: Using psycho-neuro-immunology.

29:18 What do we know about the pregnant brain? 

33:24 How does postpartum depression affect the child?     

36:36 Summary

38:33 What is the next big step for research in psychoneuroimmunology during pregnancy, especially when considering pregnancy-related mental health? 

Thanks to Hanna Wierenga for exchanging ideas in preparation of this episode!

Sound recording: Recording Studio Blasenhus, Uppsala University 

Editing: Franziska Weinmar with support from Andreas Forsberg (Recording Studio Blasenhus, Uppsala University) 

Do you have any feedback, suggestions, or questions? Get in touch with us: [email protected]

Are you intrigued by this topic and want to be kept updated? Follow us on twitter: @irtg2804 or instagram: @irtg2804

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After our summer break, we're back - so: Let's Talk About Women!

In this episode, we're hosting the one and only Dr. Liisa Galea (Center of Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada). PhD candidate Franziska Weinmar asks Liisa all about translational research from animal models to human health: What we have learned and achieved so far, and what is yet to be uncovered - especially regarding female-specific mechanisms? With the aim to improve (mental) health for all, we ask: Who gets a disorder and when?

Timestamps:

01:41 - What can research in animal models reveal about humans?

06.11 - What are current achievements for us humans today that would not have been possible without research in animal models?

15.10 - What are achievements of research in animal models for *women*?

24.10 - Research on female-specific mechanisms using animal models

33.00 - Lack of research in female samples: reasons & consequences

41.08 - What are current limits of research in animal models?

46.00 - Summary

48.08 - What is the next big step in research on women's mental health and how can research in animal models help us getting there?

Thanks to Gloria Matte Bon & Anna Denninger for exchanging ideas in preparation of this episode!

Sound recording & editing: Center for Media Competence, University of Tübingen. 

Do you have any feedback, suggestions, or questions? Get in touch with us: [email protected]

Are you intrigued by this topic and want to be kept updated? Follow us on twitter: @irtg2804 or instagram: @irtg2804

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