Johann Kruschwitz, Dr. rer. nat.
Postdoctoral Researcher VCF
Contact information
Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
CCM Campus Charité Mitte
CC 15: Neurologie, Neurochirurgie und Psychiatrie
Forschungsbereich Mind and Brain
Clinical Neuroscience & Imaging Genetics
Bonhoefferplatz 3, Berlin
Research Statement
I studied psychology at the Technische Universität Dresden and am currently a PhD student in the SFB 940 (project A6) working under the mentorship of Prof. Thomas Goschke (TU Dresden) and Prof. Henrik Walter (Charité Berlin). I am investigating the neural underpinnings of anticipated emotions. Specifically, I am interested in how anticipated emotions may relate and influence our decision-making and how they interact with volitional control and cognitive regulation.
Scientific Education
| 07/2010 – 04/2011 | Diplom thesis: “Neural correlates and underlying processes of risk-taking: decision making in sensation seeking individuals.”; Received degree: Dipl.Psych. |
| 10/2005 – 06/2010 | Studies of Psychology: Clinical Psychology (Major), Medicine (Minor) at the Dept. of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden |
Professional Experience
| 06/2010 – 08/2010 | Research Internship at the Laboratory of Biological Dynamics and Theoretical |
| 04/2009 – 10/2009 | Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego (UCSD), USA. Collaboration with Prof. Martin P. Paulus, M.D. and Alan N. Simmons, Ph.D., on a research project about the neurobiological underpinnings of risk-taking / decision-making in sensation seeking indi-viduals. Research activity included study conception, data preparation, da-ta analysis, manuscript preparation. |
12/2007 – 02/2009 11/2009 – 02/2010 | Research at the Neuroimaging Center, Institute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Technische Universität Dresden (Research Internship: 12/2007 – 11/2008; service contracts: 12/2008 – 02/2009; 11/2009 – 02/2010) as a member of the “fMRI Anxiety Research Group” in collaboration with Ulrike Lueken, Ph.D., on a research project about functional brain correlates in dental phobic and snake phobic subjects. |
Other Scientific Activities, Honors, Awards
| 05/2011 | Werner-Straub-Award for outstanding achievements during the scientific curriculum (Werner-Straub-Preis für hervorragende Leistungen im Rahmen der wissenschaftlichen Qualifikation) |
| 02/2008 – 12/2010 | Holder of a scholarship and member of the „Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes“ (German National Academic Foundation) in order to scientific excellence |
| 06/2010 | Short-term research scholarship of the “Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes“ about $ 4.000 |
| 04/2009 | Foreign exchange scholarship of the “Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes“ about $ 10.000 |
Selected Publications
Manuscripts
Lueken, U., Kruschwitz, J.D., Muehlhan, M., Siegert, J., Hoyer, J. & Wittchen.H-U., 2011. How specific is specific phobia? Different neural responses in two subtypes of specific phobia. NeuroImage, 56, 363-372.
Kruschwitz, J. D., Simmons, A., Flagan, T., Paulus, M.P., 2011. Nothing to lose: Processing blindness to potential losses drives thrill and adventure seekers. NeuroImage 2012; 59(3):2850-2859.
Kruschwitz, J. D., Lueken, U., Walter, H.W., Paulus, M.P., High Thrill and Adventure Seeking is associated with diminished interoceptive sensitivity: evidence for altered homeostatic processing in high Sensation Seekers. (under revision at Journal of Personality)
Peer-reviewed abstracts
Kruschwitz, J.D., Varikuti, D., Jensen, J., Erk, S., Mohnke, S., Heinz, A., Kirsch, P., Meyer-Lindenberg, A., Walter, M., Walter, H. (2012). Neuroticism predicts resting-state functional connectivity between Amygdala and Fusiform Gyrus. 3rd biennial Conference on Resting State Brain Connectivity, September 5-7 2012, Magdeburg (Germany).
Kruschwitz, J.D., Braun, U., Jensen, J., Plichta, M.M., Esslinger, C., Sauer, C., Haddad, L., Grimm, O., Mier, D., Mohnke, S.,Schott, B., Heinz, A., Erk, S., Seiferth, N., Kirsch, P., Meyer-Lindenberg, A., Walter, H. (2012). Personality relates to differences in small-world properties of intrinsic functional brain connectivity networks. 3rd biennial Conference on Resting State Brain Connectivity, September 5-7 2012, Magdeburg (Germany).