Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University
Natalia Chechko’s research group investigates neuroscientific and bioscientific aspects of various psychiatric disorders, including depression, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders and autism spectrum disorder. Cerebral dysfunctions in women of reproductive age who suffer from affective disorders, e.g. postpartum depression, psychosomatic illnesses or chronic pain disorders, are a particular focus. The aim is to record emotional and cognitive dysfunctions multimodally in order to enable early detection and predict the response to therapy in affected women. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is used to analyse cerebral dysfunctions during visual, olfactory and nociceptive stimulation. Psychological test procedures and laboratory measurement techniques, such as blood serum analyses and hair sample analyses, are also used. Other influencing factors such as genetic disposition are also taken into account.
