content/projects/c06/_index.de.md

@@ -7,8 +7,8 @@ contributors:
 sites:
 - heidelberg
 topics:
-- research-area-c
 - dfg-206-10
+- research-area-c
 weight: 3050
 params:
   current_contributors:

content/projects/c06/_index.md

@@ -7,8 +7,8 @@ contributors:
 sites:
 - heidelberg
 topics:
-- research-area-c
 - dfg-206-10
+- research-area-c
 weight: 3050
 params:
   current_contributors:

content/publications/380e5b4fc8efd78b5bca271e183644e2.md

@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+---
+contributors: []
+date: null
+external_url: https://doi.org/c474ddf17ba514a875351c531ca6bbabac49e7ff
+layout: publication
+params:
+  licenses: []
+projects:
+- c03
+title: Stable clique membership in male mouse societies requires oxytocin-enabled
+  social sensory states
+topics: []
+
+---
+
+The ability to establish stable de novo relationships in complex environments is essential for social functioning but disrupted in disorders such as autism. Yet, the mechanisms supporting higher-order bonding in large groups remain unclear. Here, we introduce a naturalistic model of clique formation in mouse societies, using longitudinal tracking from large-scale video data. We show that small, stable cliques emerged from the specific group configurations. Consistently, also kinship did not significantly facilitate entry. These cohesive cliques resembled human mutually interacting rich-clubs, exhibiting high social rank and influence over non-members. We next examined whether oxytocin signaling in the olfactory cortex supports such higher-order bonding. Despite preserved social motivation, mice with conditional oxytocin receptor deletion in this sensory cortex failed to join rich-clubs, approached peers less consistently, and received unstable reciprocal connections. This network-level disorganization demonstrates how social dynamics can magnify individual deficits. Our findings identify oxytocin-dependent social sensory states as a necessary mechanism for forming stable relationships in complex social networks.

content/publications/8dcda3feb19a3dd41ef502b7f77e6b2b.md

@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+---
+contributors: []
+date: '1997-12-05'
+external_url: null
+layout: publication
+params:
+  licenses: []
+projects: []
+title: null
+topics: []
+
+---

content/publications/Blair_etal_Neuroscience_amp_Biobehavioral_Reviews_2025_12.md

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 ---
 contributors:
+- james-blair
 - ute-habel
 - lisa-wagels
 date: '2025-12-01'

content/publications/Neukel_etal_Eur_Arch_Psychiatry_Clin_Neurosci_2026_08_04.md

@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+---
+contributors: []
+date: '2026-08-04'
+external_url: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-026-02334-7
+layout: publication
+params:
+  licenses: []
+projects: []
+title: 'Childhood maltreatment impacts the activity of the neural empathy but not
+  theory of mind network: findings from a transdiagnostic sample'
+topics: []
+
+---
+
+Abstract
+Background
+
+Childhood maltreatment (CM) is a risk factor for psychopathology, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD) and somatic symptom disorder (SSD). One possible mechanism linking CM with psychopathology is social cognition, comprising empathy and theory of mind (ToM). While prior research has focused on the association of CM with behavioral empathy and ToM capacities, not much is known about its association with functional neural correlates.
+Methods
+
+The sample included N = 101 adults with PTSD, MDD, and SSD, as well as healthy volunteers (HV) with varying CM experiences. We assessed social cognition and its neural correlates by applying the EmpaToM task and CM using a validated interview covering ten CM types. We analyzed neural activations related to empathy and ToM and calculated correlations between neural activations in regions-of-interest and CM severity. Finally, applying multiple linear regression analysis we investigated whether the association between neural activations and CM severity was moderated by primary diagnosis.
+Results
+
+We found significant activation in the neural empathy and ToM networks. Exploratory analyses indicated activation related to empathy in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) to be negatively associated with CM severity. This association was not moderated by primary diagnosis. Activation in the neural ToM network was not associated with CM severity.
+Conclusions
+
+Results highlight an association of CM severity with activation of the neural empathy but not the ToM network. Especially empathy-related dmPFC activity might be a transdiagnostic mechanism through which CM contributes to the risk for psychopathology. This result should be replicated in an independent sample but represents a promising starting point for the development of transdiagnostic therapeutic approaches.
+
+Neukel, C., Seitz, K. I., Schmitz, M., Kanske, P., Herpertz, S. C., & Bertsch, K. (2026). Childhood maltreatment impacts the activity of the neural empathy but not theory of mind network: findings from a transdiagnostic sample. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 276(7), 3753–3764. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-026-02334-7
+

content/publications/Neukel_etal_Nervenarzt_2026_08_31.md

@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+---
+contributors: []
+date: '2026-08-31'
+external_url: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00115-026-02008-8
+layout: publication
+params:
+  licenses: []
+projects: []
+title: "Psychotherapie der Aggression bei Pers\xF6nlichkeitsst\xF6rungen: eine Mechanismus-basierte\
+  \ Perspektive"
+topics: []
+
+---
+
+Aggression und Gewalt stellen weltweit ei- ne gesellschaftliche Herausforderung dar. In Deutschland wurde die Relevanz zu- letzt unterstrichen durch die Dunkelfeld- studie„Lebenssituation,Sicherheitund Be- lastung im Alltag“ (LeSuBiA) des Bundes- kriminalamts [17]: Über 50 % aller Befrag- ten erlebten körperliche Gewalt in ihrer Kindheit und Jugend und mehr als 16 % körperlicheGewaltin(Ex-)Partnerschaften. Dies wirft Fragen nach einem angemes- senen Umgang mit Aggression auf, der seit jeher auch ein zentrales Thema der Psychotherapie ist. Neben Psychosen und Suchterkrankungen gehen vor allem Per- sönlichkeitsstörungen (PS) mit einem er- höhten Risiko für nach außen gerichtete Aggression einher [5]. Im vorliegenden Ar- tikel präsentieren wir eine Mechanismus- basierte Betrachtung und Einordnung ak- tueller Erkenntnisse und Herausforderun- gen in der Psychotherapie bei Menschen mit PS.
+
+Neukel, C., Hauschild, S., & Herpertz, S. C. (2026). Psychotherapy for aggression in personality disorders: a mechanism-based perspective. Der Nervenarzt. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00115-026-02008-8
+

content/publications/b79a558ec3b7aadd7aaf90674c8d84c2.md

@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+---
+contributors: []
+date: null
+external_url: https://doi.org/doi.org/10.7554/eLife.109354.2
+layout: publication
+params:
+  licenses: []
+projects: []
+title: Individual differences drive social hierarchies in male mouse societies
+topics: []
+
+---
+
+Social hierarchies structure groups and confer advantages on high-ranking individuals. In mice, individual position in hierarchies may emerge situationally from current group compositions, or, alternatively, may remain largely stable across groups as an internalized feature. Dominance and subordination are expressed in behaviors like tube competitions or agonistic chasing. The interaction of these behaviors in the shaping of social position in larger male mouse groups remains largely unknown. To address these questions, we developed the NoSeMaze, a semi-naturalistic, open-source, modular platform that enables automated long-term tracking of unperturbed groups. Across more than 4,000 mouse-days, hierarchies derived from incidental competitions in the integrated tube tests were non-despotic, transitive, and stable even when group compositions changed. This stability supports an internalized component of competition-based social rank. Chasing was also stable across contexts. Notably, chasing was concentrated among high-ranking individuals, consistent with ongoing negotiation of social rank among individuals at the upper end of the hierarchy. The link between chasing and social rank strengthened in groups with less well-defined rank structure, where mice rely more on aggressive signaling to assert their position. Chasing and social rank were associated with certain dimensions of simultaneously measured physical and cognitive features. In summary, high-dimensional tracking with the NoSeMaze reveals that social position in mice is multifaceted and shaped by stable dimensions of individual behavior that persist across changing social contexts. The approach thus enables longitudinal modeling of individuality and social position as key resilience factors.