Let's Talk About Women

Light does much more than help us see - it directly influences our brain, hormones, sleep, and overall health. In this episode, we welcome PhD researcher Carolina Guidolin, who enlightens us about the world of circadian neuroscience and how light regulates our internal clock. Together we discuss why people respond differently to light exposure, how sex and hormones may shape these responses, and w...

How are sex and gender differences reflected in mental health research and care - from prevalence and symptoms to diagnosis and treatment? In this episode, Franziska talks to Andreas Fallgatter, Professor and Medical Director at the University Hospital Tübingen and spokesperson of the Tübingen site of the German Center for Mental Health (DZPG). Together, they talk about differences in prevalence a...

How do we decide what is right or wrong? And how are these decisions shaped? In this episode, Franziska speaks with Aiste Ambrase, doctoral researcher in the research group Women’s Mental Health and Brain Function at the University of Tübingen, about the fascinating and complex world of moral decision-making. Bringing together moral philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience, Ais...

Let’s Talk WITH Young Researchers: Welcome to our podcast sideline, in which we give the word to young researchers in the field of women’s mental health! In this episode, meet  Iris Hamers , PhD researcher at the University Medical Center Groningen. In her PhD, Iris investigates sex differences in mental health disorders and treatment, with a particular focus on schizophrenia and ps...

Sleep is something we all need - but do women and men actually sleep differently? And what happens when we move beyond biological sex to consider gender roles and identity? In this episode we welcome Dr. Lieve van Egmond, postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University of Tübingen. Lieve’s work explores how sleep, mental well-being and hormones...

Let's Talk WITH Young Researchers: Welcome to our podcast sideline, in which we give the word to young researchers in the field of women's mental health! In this episode, meet Livia Ruehr, PhD researcher in the Cognitive Neuroendocrinology Group at the Max-Planck-Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, who is supervised by Prof. Dr. Julia Sacher. In her research, Livia focuses...

What if we could peek into the developing brain before birth? In this episode we welcome Prof. Hubert Preissl, head of the research group Metabolic Neuroimaging at the University of Tübingen, who talks about the fascinating science of fetal brain development. Using fetal magnetoencephalography (fMEG) - with one of two systems worldwide right in Tübingen - researchers can measure fetal br...

Let's Talk WITH Young Researchers: our podcast sideline in which we give the word to young researchers in the field of women's mental health! In this episode, meet Romina Garcia de leon, PhD researcher at the Institute of Medical Sciences at the University of Toronto and part of the Laboratory of Behavioural Neuroendocrinology at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, where she wor...

How are metabolism, cognition, mood, and overall health connected - and do these interactions differ between women and men across the lifespan? In this episode, Franziska talks to Prof. Manfred Hallschmid from the University of Tübingen, where he researches the links between brain function, metabolic processes, and sleep. Manfred explains how our brain and body communicate when it comes to food in...

Welcome Prof. Dr. Pia Schober, who brings us a sociological perspective on our field of research! Pia is a professor at the University of Tübingen, where she leads the Chair of Microsociology in the Department of Sociology and is also part of our IRTG 2804. As an expert on gender-specific and social inequalities focusing on the impact of childcare and education policies, Pia talks about historic a...

Let's Talk WITH Young Researchers: our podcast sideline in which we give the word to young researchers in the field of women's mental health! In this episode, meet Zoé Bürger, PhD researcher in the Women's Mental Health and Brain Function lab in Tübingen, where she has been working with Prof. Birgit Derntl. We talk about Zoé's research on hormonal contraception, specifically the hormonal IUD, and...

March is Endometriosis Awareness Month - so Let's Talk About Endometriosis! In this conversation, Elle Murata, PhD researcher in the Cognitive Neuroendocrinology Lab at the University of California, is sharing insights into neuroscience research on endometriosis. What is endometriosis? Why is it important to consider endometriosis in neuroscience research? How are Elle and her research group explo...

How do hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle or when using oral contraceptives ("the pill") affect cognitive functions? In this episode, Franziska speaks with Prof. DDr. MMMag. Belinda Pletzer (Paris-Lodron University of Salzburg), a leading expert in cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology, especially when it comes to hormone-brain interactions. With a diverse background s...

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) approximately affects 2-5% of women around the world. In this episode we have Dr. Liza Kaltsouni, postdoc at Uppsala University, Department of Women's and Children's Health, as an expert in our podcast. During her PhD, Liza Kaltsouni conducted research on PMDD and collected various data, including brain data in the MRI scanner. This has influenced her holisti...

Let's Talk WITH Young Researchers: our podcast sideline in which we give the word to young researchers in the field of women's mental health! In this episode, meet Hanna Wierenga, PhD Candidate in the IRTG2804, who is working with Prof. Pia Schober (Tübingen) and Prof. Alkistis Skalkidou (Uppsala) on gender identity and ideologies and mental health, specifically during and after pregnancy. We talk...

Despite being one of the major hormonal transition phases in the female lifespan, menopause is still underrepresented in medicine and research. Fortunately, this is changing - among others due to our guest, Dr. Claudia Barth, senior researcher at Diakonhjemmet Hospital and the Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research in Oslo, who is an expert on female hormonal transitions and their effect o...

After our summer break we're back to talk about women! In this episode we dive into the period of adolescence with Dr. Jolien Trekels, who is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of North Carolina. Jolien unpacks how the adolescent brain and body develop during this critical period and explains the complex effects of social media on well-being, from the negative to the positive. T...

Let's Talk WITH Young Researchers: our new podcast sideline in which we give the word to young researchers in the field of women's mental health! We kick-off with our very own Gloria Matte Bon, PhD Candidate in the IRTG2804, who is working with Prof. Tobias Kaufmann, applying computational models to investigate sex differences in brain structure, with particular focus on hormonal transition period...

Computational methods and machine learning are currently THE hot-topics and they are also applied in neuroscience research, showing us where the field is heading in the future. If you have ever wondered how these methods work, what their advantages - but also limitations - are and how they are implemented in research on women's mental health: We got you! In this episode Franziska is hosting Tobias...

Celebrate with us the first anniversary episode of Let's Talk About Women!! - This time as PhD Candidate Franziska is hosting Dr. Nicole Petersen, Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA, California. Directing the Translational Neuroimaging Lab, Nicole's research focuses on neuromodulation and neuroendocrinology. Amongst others, she has investigated the...

Welcome to this episode with Vibe Froekjaer, Professor in Neuropsychiatry at the Department of Clinical Medicine, Copenhagen University, Denmark. Join us as Vibe and Franziska delve into the question of why some women are more vulnerable to mental health problems during hormonal transitions, unraveling state of the art research on the hypothesis of “hormonal sensitivity”. From discussing the...

In this episode, PhD candidate Franziska Weinmar interviews Dr. Adriene Beltz, visiting Tübingen from the University of Michigan. The topic of today’s episode are hormonal intrauterine devices, short IUD. From contraceptives beyond the “pill” and hormonal contraceptive trends worldwide, they discuss how the IUD works, why it is important to look at potential effects of IUDs separately from oral co...

Welcome to a special episode, coming to you live and on-site from the Lorentz Center in Leiden, the Netherlands! The Lorentz Center serves as a dynamic workshop hub, hosting international scientific meetings which bring together brilliant minds and foster an open and interactive atmosphere.  In this episode, PhD Candidate Franziska Weinmar is taking you directly to the Lorentz workshop on "Ho...

Tune in to this episode for an enlightening conversation on the profound transformations of the brain in transition to mother- and parenthood: PhD candidate Franziska is interviewing Dr. Magdalena Martínez-García, researcher in the “Neuromaternal” group in Madrid. Using longitudinal neuroimaging studies, she and her team investigate structural and functional neuroplasticity across different stages...

With our first episode in 2024, we are back and ready to talk about stress and stress regulation! In this episode PhD candidate Franziska Weinmar hosts Dr. Lydia Kogler, a clinical psychologist by training, expert on the neuroscience of stress and associate of the IRTG2804. Together they dive into the complex world of stress and stress regulation - especially if and how women and men differ in thi...