Faculty VI – Medicine and Health Sciences comprises the fields of Human Medicine, Medical Physics and Acoustics, Neuroscience, Psychology, and Health Services Research. Together with four regional hospitals, Faculty VI forms the University Medicine Oldenburg. In addition, there is close collaboration with the University Medical Center of the University of Groningen.
The Research Laboratory Molecular Child Psychiatry investigates how early-life adversity and prenatal substance exposure shape brain development and contribute to psychiatric symptoms across childhood and adolescence. Our research combines molecular biology, cellular models, clinical cohorts, and neuropsychological assessments to identify biological mechanisms underlying mental health, vulnerability, and resilience.
Our laboratory employs targeted DNA methylation analyses, whole-genome DNA methylation profiling, gene expression analyses (RT-qPCR), protein quantification (Western blot and ELISA), and the integration of molecular findings with psychometric and neuropsychological data. In addition, we are establishing human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived brain organoid models to study neurodevelopmental mechanisms related to early adversity, prenatal substance exposure, and psychiatric symptoms.
