Contact person: Julia Strojny

Although there are many studies on various situational and qualitatively different aspects of stressors, the underlying biological mechanisms are not yet fully understood. This is particularly true for the stress hormone cortisol. In this current study, a pharmacological strategy to increase cortisol levels should help to clarify these questions, as it can control for a wide range of situational influences that usually accompany psychosocial stress tests (e.g., such as the TSST). Behavioral economics paradigms for measuring trust, trustworthiness, sharing, punishment and risk (von Dawans et al., 2012) are used to study social behavior.

von Dawans, B., Strojny, J., & Domes, G. (2021). The effects of acute stress and stress hormones on social cognition and behavior: Current state of research and future directions. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 121, 75–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.11.026

contact persons: Bernadette von Dawans, Laura Bastgen

All children experience stress in their everyday lives. Sometimes children experience this stress as a burden, they feel under pressure, may have trouble sleeping or develop other symptoms. Sometimes this can also lead to children no longer being able to perform at their level at school. For adults, there are already a number of factors that have been shown to be significant in dealing with stress. We would like to use this study to find out whether these factors also apply to children. The answer to this question may have significant implications for the support offered to children with high levels of stress in the future. In this project, children in 3rd and 4th grade can learn in a group how to deal better with everyday and school stress.

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contact person: Gregor Domes

In animal models, it has been shown that prolonged fasting is associated with a reduction in the release of cortisol in response to a stressor. Initial studies in humans were able to show that the administration of a larger amount of glucose after a period of fasting restores the cortisol response to a psychosocial stressor. In a follow-up study, the researchers found this effect specifically only for glucose, but not for other potential energy sources such as fat or proteins.

The aim of this research project is to replicate the previous findings in a larger sample and to investigate their generalizability to different types of stressors (social-evaluative & physiological). As an extension of the research results of the research group, the effect of the application of synthetic sweeteners, as they are increasingly used in food production, on the stress response will be examined.

• von Dawans, B., Zimmer, P., & Domes, G. (2021). Effects of glucose intake on stress reactivity in young, healthy men. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 126, 105062. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.105062

Stress-related determinants for the perseverance of chronic headaches in children and adolescents (KISS study)
Funding: DFG

Stress-induced changes in eating behavior in obesity (SVEA)
Research field: Clinical nutrition psychology; Funding: DFG

Is prenatal stress related to HPA axis dysregulations and increased vulnerability for stress disorders in adulthood?
Research field: Prenatal programming of stress vulnerability; Epigenetics; Funding: DFG

Maltreatment and transgenerational transmission of hypocortisolism
(jointly with PD Dr. Eva Möhler, Center of Psychosocial Med.,  Uni-clinic Heidelberg); Funding: DFG

Epigenetic programming of estrogen receptors alpha and beta in patients with endometriosis: a pilot study
Research field: Early programming of stress vulnerability; Funding: Own funds

Emotion-induced eating behavior in overweight children and adolescents
Research field: Childhood obesity, Further development of specific therapy modules; Funding: DFG

Effectiveness of an outpatient sports program to optimize multimodal group therapy in overweight children
Research field: Childhood obesity, Further development of specific therapy modules; Funding: DFG